Discover vegan and solidarity eco-festivals in France.
With the return of summer and sunny days, it's the perfect opportunity to get back outside and reconnect with loved ones over fresh fruit juice and enjoyable moments outdoors.
After many months of staying at home, we had almost forgotten about the big summer outdoor events.
A must-attend event for fans of sound gatherings., festivals gather more than each year 7 million people around the world, around themes such as music, fashion, or even history.
Not spared by the health crisis in 2020 and largely cancelled, the organisateur.trice.s Festival-goers are hoping to make a comeback this year and are returning in force to the forefront of the scene (no pun intended)!
Among them, the return of ethical festivals - also called eco festivals - whose number has been constantly evolving in Europe for a decade.
So without further ado, we'll let you get your sunscreens, tents and earplugs out of the drawers, and we'll take you on a little tour of the ethical festivals to discover or rediscover this summer.
Focus on the issues of a festival:
1 - Polluting transport:
7 million festival-goers, that's a lot of travel!
2 - Waste sorting:
This type of event generates on average 80 to 90 tonnes of waste in a few days.
3 - Electrical energy:
An average concert in a stadium in Europe emits an average of 25 tonnes of CO².
But what is an eco festival ?
Music and exchange to raise awareness of ecology you will adopt.
Like any festival organized around a stage where concerts take place, the eco-festival is also an opportunity to bring people together around artists and committed speakers behind the defense of ethical and solidarity causes. The site is thus set up with stands where associations, volunteers and speakers will be present.re.s, come to express themselves, exchange ideas and interact with the public around the environmental, humanitarian, social, and anti-speciesist themes, etc.
THE intervenant.e.s they share tips and give workshops to better understand issues such as the fight against food waste, permaculture, urban agriculture, the zero waste, there fight against over-packaging plastics, eco-citizenship, and manyautres.Les Festival-goers can, for example, participate in cooking workshops and thus reconsider their way of eating, thanks to advice for healthier and eco-responsible eating; how to find short supply chain, local and organic food, or look for AMAPs and regional players.
Your festival will be organized responsibly.
Of course, organizing an eco-festival is not simply a matter of inviting committed artists and exhibitors, thelogistics organization must it also be exemplary in terms of eco-responsibility.
And since a day at a festival – or even two – can be tiring and exhausting, it's essential to offer the public solutions for entertainment, food, and comfort, while also taking into account the issue of... transition towards consumption that respects the planet.
From visitor transport facilities on and off site, to food supplies, waste management, and the choice of energy sources used, everything is being considered to make the event an ecological model leaving behind a minimal carbon footprint and a maximum footprint of good memories.
You will use transport with a reduced environmental footprint.
Transportation is responsible for more than 70% of the carbon emissions produced during a festival (material supplies, food supply and human travel of staff and visitors combined), which constitutes a considerable source of pollution.
For limit greenhouse gas emissions, The organizers of the eco-festivals invite visitors to borrow the public transport to get to and from the festival. Otherwise, those coming from afar are advised to use alternative transportation options. eco-mobility solutions, such as trains or carpooling. Everything is done to empower the participant.e.s taking into account the need for effort to reduce their carbon footprint.
On site, green means of transport are favoured, and bicycles are made available to visitors at advantageous rates.
Eco-festivals like WeAreGreen, Lands of Sound or the Lyon eco-festival Woodstower. They have also set up shuttle shuttle systems to facilitate access to their site for festival-goers.
On the use of renewable energies, your festival you will build.
To meet the festival's electricity needs (stage and walkway lighting, power supply for instruments and sound systems, stands, refrigerators and cooktops, etc.), renewable energy solutions, including solar panels, are being installed on site. The idea is to be as energy independent as possible, but also to...avoid overconsumption of energy by using suitable equipment, and by inviting stand staff to monitor their own electricity consumption.
Eco-friendly food solutions will be distributed at your eco-festival.
A festival means a good musical lineup, but also a well-deserved picnic after a long hesitation in front of a multitude of stalls with dishes more tempting than the next.
Here, we're well served, since if the main objective of an eco-festival is to to raise public awareness of an eco-responsible approach to living, Offering tasty, healthy, but also eco-friendly food is a fundamental principle.
On site, the organisateur.trice.s of the festival We Love Green or Green Cabaret for example, they feature a menu prepared by local chefs and suppliers, and as much as possible highlighting local products, organic and cultivated with respect of the environment.
A wide variety of dishes are offered, all the more delicious for being made with unusual recipes. An opportunity to rediscover forgotten flavors, dishes from elsewhere, and from experimenting with new textures like recipes that reproduce products usually of animal origin: meat substitutes, plant-based cheeses (often called vegan cheeses), desserts and pastries without eggs or milk.
Composition dishes are also offered. 100% plant-based a completely new approach to reducing the environmental impact of our food.
Some eco-festivals, like the Smmmile Festival, They were, in fact, built on the idea of introducing the public to a vegan lifestyle by offering only vegan products, in order to raise awareness of environmental issues. but also to that of animal welfare.
From the food offered at the stalls to the consumer products on display, the menu is exclusively vegan and cruelty free.
By visiting, you can discover books on the vegan lifestyle, its specific characteristics, the origins of veganism, as well as products vegan cosmetics, of the ethical fashion items And vegan clothing, And why not one day, vegan shoes from your favorite brand ;)
Recycling, the end of your festival will be.
Of courseThe major challenge of an eco-festival lies in leaving behind a minimal ecological footprint. To achieve this, we construct the stage and organize the site in such a way as not to damage the environment once the event is over.
Before the festival, a communication campaign to raise public awareness about sorting and the need for moderate your consumption - especially of paper – is being set up.
Festival-goers are invited to switch to a digital ticketing, and we reduce the number of flyers printed for the event. During the festival, raw materials are repurposed for the construction of structures. For example: straw bales are used to delineate the walkways and used wooden planks are used to make the tables for the stands.
We are also working to use recycled materials for packaging consumable foodstuffs and efforts are made to sell products without excess packaging. Plastic items such as bottles and cutlery sold to festival-goers are replaced by water fountains, etc. returnable tableware, Biodegradable and compostable plates and napkins made from recycled paper and cardboard. Finally, a whole system is in place on site for sorting waste thanks to the installation of collection bins and staff are present to remind visitors of the importance of properly sorting their waste.
Want to participate ?
WE LOVE GREEN:
Having first taken place in 2011, this musical event attracts more than 75,000 festival-goers for an immersive eco-friendly weekend! Although already powered at 100% powered by renewable energy sources, The festival lists many other ethical actions!
Its strength : Waste and plastic management!
• We Love Green is equipped with about a hundred water fountains to allow festival-goers to stay hydrated for free, without having to use plastic bottles.
• A green brigade takes care of raise public awareness sorting, and collecting the rubbish.
• All The dishes are returnable., reusable, And compostable.
• Waste collection and cigarette butts are being collected following the festival. in order to be able to revalue them later. Moreover, in 2019, it was no less than 81% of waste from the festival which were able to be repurposed, as well as 15,500 cigarette butts!
• Speaking of recycling, We Love Green also manufactures composts from the waste from the festival's dry toilets.
Their next goal? To become 100% circular by 2025. by signing the charter Drastic on Plastic !
LANDS OF SOUND:
Located in Indre-et-Loire, this eco-festival offers an idyllic setting for nature lovers. While many activities are organized with respect for the environment and to limit pollution, other initiatives are implemented to raise public awareness of "live together".
So, what does that mean in practice?
• Facilities are being put in place for to provide privileged access for people with reduced mobility.
• Special rates are offered to the latter.
• The scene as well as the various stands of the festival are set up by social structures, as well as young students training in the construction industry.
The SMMMILE Festival:
Concerts, conferences, documentation, this Parisian eco-event offers different ways to raise public awareness to the environmental cause.
Foodie Zoom on the theme of “cuisine” around which the festival is structured:
• COG team tip: arrive at the Smmmile festival on an empty stomach!
You will find a wide variety of small dishes on site and vegan snacks in order to discover or to publicize the richness and variety of plant-based food.
• You will also be able to participate in numerous culinary workshops, to be able to easily reproduce your (future) vegan recipes favorites!
Curious, or lacking inspiration for your recipes veggie: The Smmmile festival is the place for you!
And on a global scale, what does that look like ?
Of Splendor in the Grass in Australia, passing through the Boom Festival in Portugal, or even the DGTL, There is no shortage of ethical gatherings, and they are being organized all over the world.
Among the many engaging themes, we are sure you will find the eco-festival of your dreams!
So tell us which one you dream of participating in!
Your turn <tc>Winton</tc>And to our ethical festivals!!
COG -
VEGAN OUTFITTERS - Eco-designed T-shirt: https://veganoutfitters.com/products/herbivore-dinosaur-vegan-t-shirt
LE CHAPOTE - "Made in France" cap: https://lechapote.com/collections/featured-products-home/products/casquette-marine
BAGARREUSE - Abby “Made in France” shorts: https://bagarreuse.com/collections/bas-combinaisons/products/short-abby-rose
ARSAYO - Natural cork bag: https://arsayo.com/fr/collections/the-arsayo-bags/products/suber-collection?variant=38047016714424
Festivals, trade shows, specialist markets: opportunities to discover alternatives toconsumption more in line with nature, There's no shortage of ways to have a pleasant time.
The only rule: have fun and live life to the fullest.eco-friendly adventure as a curiosity, not a constraint.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
LIVE HEALTHY, WALK CLEAN & ENJOY.
The COG team
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