GECOP
authorities must adopt when licensing festivals ”.
As such , GECOP has been designed to represent a science-based approach that aligns with existing frameworks and initiatives – global , national , and sector specific ; it does not seek to provide another form of assessment or certification .
In January 2024 , Vision : 2025 and Julie ’ s Bicycle launched the pilot in collaboration with ten local authorities across the UK . Over 12 months , authorities including Manchester , Bristol , Colchester , Leicester , Norwich , West Northants and Reading , are testing how GECOP could be used to embed sustainability within local authority processes .
This project will future proof local authorities and the outdoor events sector , and potentially create a blueprint
“ THIS PROJECT WILL FUTURE PROOF LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND THE OUTDOOR EVENTS SECTOR .”
for legislation around environmental sustainability that works for the events , local authorities and the environment .
An understanding of what is practically possible in the short-term has driven this cross-sector collaboration . GECOP mirrors the success of the Purple Guide , in establishing workable and widely adopted safety best practices in the UK , by providing minimum best practices . To enable this , I developed D . A . T . E ., in partnership with Vision : 2025 , Attitude Is Everything , Cheltenham Festivals and Cheltenham Borough Council . It offers an adaptive , affordable and a scalable methodology for best practice to be assessed through a range of existing local authority processes . It was created based on the foundation of Doughnut Economics – with the SDGs informing almost every aspect of design . Importantly , it ’ s inexpensive , and does not require specialist expertise amongst any stakeholder group .
The local authorities are all using the DATE tool to develop assessments covering seven core themes ; governance , energy , travel & transportation , food & drink , materials & waste , water , and positive influence . The outcome will be a resource to upskill event organisers and local authority teams of all sizes and experience , across the UK , to enable them to measure and achieve their environmental targets .
The UK pilot is well underway , with participants collecting data that already evidences a link between the adoption of a globally aligned best practice framework with reductions in carbon emissions .
Work is also taking place internationally through partnerships with ESNS and NHL Stenden , with applications for the research wide ranging and already in use within the commercial sector . With testing looking to expand into leisure , hospitality , tourism and business events in a joint project between Cheltenham , Liverpool & Groningen , more information about the GECOP pilot will be included as a chapter in the upcoming Contemporary Issues in Outdoor Events book I am working on .
The initial findings on the project will be communicated at the Sustainable Event Summit , hosted by Vision : 2025 at The Showman ’ s Show on 23 October , and learnings will be fed into the Show Must Go On Reports ’ third edition , being published in 2025 to shape future sustainability strategies for the outdoor events sector . accessaa . co . uk 33