'Festival' and sustainable' are words that you wouldn't normally find together but in Galway it seems they're going to make a decent effort this week.
The Galway Jazz Festival rolls into town on Wednesday and along with top-class musical entertainment, organisers will also be making efforts to keep the festivities as planet-friendly as possible. Listening to the concerns raised by climate change campaigners around the world, the festival has vowed to set an example and do things a bit differently this year.
Chief among their initiatives is a dedication to measure the carbon footprint caused over the five days with a team of volunteers on hand with audience survey forms, collecting data such as internet activity, travel, venue power and audience behaviour.
Along with that, there will be a zero-tolerance approach to plastic and the festival is also addressing the tricky issue of flying international artists in to perform. Organisers acknowledge that air travel is the biggest contributor to the festival's carbon footprint and are asking people to mail them at galwayjazz@gmail.com if they wish to pledge to take one fewer flight over the next year to offset the flight of a visiting musician. The number of pledges will then correspond to the number of international artists that get invited to Galway Jazz Festival 2020.
When it comes to food, the festival will be supported by a number of local eateries that are dedicated to providing sustainably produced and locally-sourced ingredients. Attendees will also be able to borrow mugs for tea and coffee as long as they bring them back when they're finished.
What about merchandise, you ask? Well, there won't be any. It all sounds like a massive effort at saving the planet and with plenty of entertainment to on offer, you'll be able to have a great time while doing your bit.
It all takes place from Wednesday to Sunday and you can find out more about the programme of events and other plans to keep Galway Jazz Festival 2019 sustainable
here.
