The challenges around creating sustainable events can seem daunting but fortunately there are freely available and easy-to-use tools and guides accessible to help organisers of events of all sizes take their first steps toward a greener future . We explore what ’ s on offer

Words : Christopher Barrett

The Creative Green Tools platform is a globally recognised set of online carbon calculators that are freely available and used internationally by thousands of organisations across 50 countries .

Created with input from partners including Live Nation ’ s Green Nation , the platform has been designed to provide an open-source , user-friendly , resource including carbon budgeting , planning , and integrated access to guides and learning resources .

Chiara Badiali , Julie ’ s Bicycle ’ s music lead , says the tools were originally created as a UK resource but have gone on to be used internationally . Dedicated tools are available for different areas of the music industry , including outdoor events , venues and tours . They have been designed to make it easy for events and venue

operators to measure energy use , water consumption , waste generation and recycling , travel and production materials .

Badiali says there is an ongoing development process to ensure the tools are helping event operators : “ A lot of the work that we are doing is around user research groups to establish what tools do well and what maybe don ’ t do so well for different parts of the sector . We are also focusing on making the user experience smoother and resources more easily accessible . We have a huge number of resources and free guides , including a lot for outdoor events and festivals .”

Future Festival Tools Julie ’ s Bicycle is also involved in Future Festival Tools ( FFT ), a set of free-to-access training products designed for events professionals to improve environmental impacts . Due to launch at ADE Green 2022 in Amsterdam in October , the FFT include a self-assessment tool , certificated e-learning course and trainer ’ s handbook for event businesses . Among the partners involved in the FFT project are The Nationwide Caterers Association ( NCASS ), Green Events and European festival association Yourope .

“ It ’ s a brilliant collaboration , because it ’ s bringing together some of the leading and most experienced groups that have been working on festival and events sustainability across Europe ,” says Badiali . “ It ’ s much more entry level than many

Chiara Badiali

of the available resources and certifications , it literally takes a user through six key areas of impact such as waste , energy and strategy . It ’ s not a huge checklist , it ’ s much more about making visible what absolute best practice looks like today , and if you ’ re just starting out where do you think you are on the spectrum .

“ There is a huge gap between the people who ’ ve been focusing on sustainability for a really long time and who understand the complexities , and the many people who are really keen to get started doing something but are still feeling a little bit lost . I think that that distance is opening up , so the Future Festivals Tools is really about addressing the people who are new to the conversation and looking for a way to start making progress .”

22