How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Concert

Concerts bring us together in a way like no other. There’s nothing quite like feeling your senses come alive as you see those flashing lights, hear the crowd roar, and feel the thumping bass in your chest. However, putting on these types of events comes with a large environmental responsibility. Concerts can have a highly negative impact on the environment through energy usage, fan travel, piles of waste, and more. Let’s discuss eco-friendly practices you can implement at a concert of any size to have a positive impact on the planet.

Choose an Eco-Friendly Venue

Your choice of venue is easily one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when planning an eco-friendly concert. This is because choosing a venue that already has green certifications and shares a commitment to sustainability can help you get a head start on your goals. When going into your venue search, ask the following questions:

• Does the venue use renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power?
• What kind of waste management practices does this venue have in place already?
• Is this venue in an easily accessible location that people can travel to by walking, biking, public transport, and so on?

Use Green Power Sources

Making sure there is great sound quality and appealing lighting or visual effects is a priority of any concert organizer. However, did you know that the average concert uses ​​10,000 watts of power? That’s enough to power 10 homes! Safe to say, this is highly damaging to the environment. To help reduce this, push for using renewable energy sources, like solar or wind power, wherever possible. If your venue doesn’t have these options, do further research to find energy providers that offer renewable energy packages. This step can help make your eco-friendly concert much more sustainable.

Implement a Waste Management System

It’s not an unfamiliar sight to see trash cans overflowing and disposable plastics littering the ground at a concert. To prevent this, set up recycling stations and clearly label bins for different types of waste – plastic, paper, glass, and organic waste. Then direct attendees to properly dispose of their trash, and consider partnering with local recycling companies to ensure that waste is then properly processed. It’s important that these bins are placed optimally throughout your eco-friendly concert, as this determines whether or not your attendees will actually use them effectively. Additionally, if you’re looking to go that extra mile, composting food scraps is a great way to save more organic waste from going into landfills. 

Eliminate Paper by Going Digital

Paper waste accounts for up to 40 percent of total waste produced in the U.S. each year. Flyers, paper tickets, and schedules or maps are all likely to end up in the trash after a concert is over. Digital ticketing is one of the easiest ways to make your event more sustainable. Not only does going digital benefit concert organizers by having all of their attendee information secure in one spot, but it’s also more convenient for attendees. Passage can help make this change a reality with our all-in-one ticketing and payments platform. Schedule a virtual demo to learn more about how to implement this into your eco-friendly concert.

Encourage Green Transportation

Considering how your attendees will get to and from your concert is an essential part of your sustainable event planning. Encourage attendees to opt for more green modes of transportation, like carpooling, biking, or using public transportation to get to the event. To accommodate for this, make sure to provide ample bike racks and publicize information on nearby bus or train stops that are close to your eco-friendly concert. For additional bonuses, you can offer incentives for attendees who use green modes of transportation, such as priority parking or discounted tickets. 

Create Sustainable Merchandise

If you plan to sell merchandise, there are many ways to make these special keepsakes more sustainable. Use materials that are eco-friendly, like hemp or recycled cotton. Avoid excessive packaging that ends up in the trash anyways, and instead go for minimalistic, recyclable packaging options for your eco-friendly concert.

Promote Using Reusable Items

Although seen as highly convenient, single-use plastics and disposable items create significant waste that can be easily avoided with the proper planning. Biodegradable or stainless-steel plates, cups, and cutlery, are all great alternatives that can eliminate this type of waste. You can also allow guests to bring their own reusable items and containers.

Engage and Educate

Along with bringing people together with music, concerts also present the opportunity to educate attendees on eco-friendly practices they can implement in their day-to-day lives. You can set up informational booths that talk about sustainable living, recycling, and how pollution contributes negatively to the environment. Promote local environmental organizations and invite them to share their knowledge with the attendees at these booths. This is a great way to extend your reach beyond just the current circumstance and further make a positive impact on the planet. 

Go Green for Good!

As people become increasingly aware of their environmental impact on the planet, planning eco-friendly concerts are more important than ever. It’s clear that the music industry has a long way to go to become more sustainable, but concert organizers and fans can combine forces to help effect positive change. By following these strategies for sustainable event planning, you can provide an eco-friendly concert experience that not only entertains but also inspires future environmental change.