Aiming for zero
Key figures and organisations within the UK ’ s live music industry have united behind a landmark pledge to reach net zero emissions by the year 2030 . Access hears from the key figures involved . commitment to knowledge-sharing to within sharing the live within music the sector live music
and sector beyond and . beyond .
Launched at A Greener Festival ’ s the Green Events and Innovations Conference ( GEI ), the Beyond Zero Declaration is fronted by LIVE Green – the sustainability arm of live music umbrella trade body LIVE . All 13 industry associations that make up LIVE , including the Association of Independent Festivals and the Concert Promoters Association , have pledged to support the ground-breaking initiative .
LIVE describes the declaration as a voluntary , sector-specific , commitment to deliver measurable and targeted action on climate change . Signatories to the declaration agree to :
● Work with LIVE Green to set reduction targets and reduce operational and business travel greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions , reporting on progress annually .
● Develop a net zero roadmap and action plan – taking responsibility for actions in energy , waste ,
John Langford
procurement , transport , food and governance .
● Understand and define emissions within value chains , follow best practice to affect change in areas outside of direct control and collaborate with suppliers and clients to reduce them .
● Ensure staff undertake climate education and have an ongoing
Among those involved in the launch of the initiative at GEI were AEG Europe COO and chair of LIVE Green John Langford , Concert Promoters Association vice-chairman and Kilimanjaro Live CEO Stuart Galbraith and musician Sam Lee .
Says Langford , “ Over the past six months I ’ ve had so many conversations with people right across the sector , from agencies to promoters and venues , about LIVE Green where they have said ‘ I want to do something but I don ’ t know what to do and I don ’ t know where to start ’.
“ It struck me that right across the sector there is an absolute willingness to make changes and I think the role that LIVE Green plays is the facilitator .
“ At The O2 arena in the past 10 years we ’ ve made an 80 % reduction in the impact that our energy use has on
CO2 emissions , but we have 20 % to go and this is where we need to pool the industry ’ s combined knowledge to get that down to 0 %.
Lee says , “ We as an industry are irrelevant if we don ’ t make these efforts and it ’ s wonderful to see an industry that is already struggling so much in so many other realms actually coming together to make such progressive change and put our beliefs into action like this .
“ I feel very much like we ’ re doing this in time and we are doing this with all the science and warnings behind us , despite a government that is pretty careless about taking measures to make a greener society possible .”