3,500 festival goers are expected to attend the fourth in a series of arts and culture pilot events, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to bring live music and culture back to Irish audiences this weekend. As part of the reopening of the sector, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) have engaged Native Events, (sustainable event solutions company), to implement, measure and report on a set of measures that will explore how events can be run more sustainably.
The measures trialled will include:
- A reusable cups system will see event goers enjoy their beverages from hard cups made from quality polypropylene which is an extremely durable hard plastic. This measure is set to save an average of 15,000 single-use plastic cups from landfill or incineration. Event goers will simply buy their beverages as usual and return them to the dedicated cup return stations. Clean fresh cups will then be ready for the next customer.
- Native Events Binfrastructure will consist of recycling stations throughout the event site, tailored to the needs of each area. Areas include bars and vendors, main arena, entrances and back-of-house for production staff. Recycling stations will segregate and collect general waste, dry-mixed recycling and compostables. Staff areas will also collect glass and cardboard. The recycling stations will be clearly signed and managed by Bin Buzzers who will interact with the public as waste is sorted. The Bin Buzzers will help to ensure waste is disposed of in the appropriate bin to significantly reduce the level of general waste.
- An off-grid solar installation with a 10.2 kWh battery powered by a 1500w Solar Array will provide electricity to one of the staff production areas throughout the duration of the event.
Speaking about the event, Minister with special responsibility for Communications and the Circular Economy in DECC, Ossian Smyth said;
“It is very positive to see events like this taking place which will showcase the very best of Irish talent. I am very pleased that the event will test a range of initiatives to explore how we can enjoy outdoor events in a safe, sustainable and eco-friendly way. It is fitting that the event is taking place on the day the Single Use Plastic Directive comes into force. The Directive marks the first step towards reducing our dependence on products which can have a devastating environmental impact and there are a number of initiatives being used at the concert to support this. I wish the event every success and hope all those lucky enough to be in the RHK have a safe, enjoyable and plastic free day!”
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, T.D. said;
“I am delighted that this pilot event will include an environmental initiative which will reduce the impact of the festival on the environment. I believe that it is critical that we make recycling as easy and accessible as possible for everyone and reduce the level of single use plastics in use. It is vital to build sustainability into every aspect of our society post pandemic and the Government is committed to supporting that.”
Event attendees and event staff are encouraged to travel sustainably to the event by bicycle, buses 13, 145, 25A, 25B, 39A, 40, 79A, LUAS (Redline) or train commuter services.
In line with the Single Use Plastic Directive, the following single-use items are banned from the event:
- Plastic Straws
- Plastic Stirrers
- Single-use sachets / condiments
- Polystyrene single use food and beverage containers
- Non-compostable coffee cups
- Single Use Plastic cups
Megan Best, CEO of Native Events, said;
“We are delighted to be working on this pilot festival with support from the Government. It’s the first large-scale outdoor event in nearly two years so it will really set the tone for how we in the events industry mean to move forward. We want to acknowledge MCD for all their hard work in making this a safe event for everyone, and for including sustainability as part of that. Sustainability is public safety on a planetary scale”.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
About the Pilot measures
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications have ambitious plans to eliminate or reduce the use of single use plastic items. We are testing the water at events like this to see how the public and industry engage with some of these initiatives in practice and it will provide important learnings for us for our ongoing work. Today’s concert will be the first in a series of events at which we hope to trial sustainability measures, gauge public reaction to moves to reduce the dependence on single use plastic items, raise awareness, and to ensure that single use plastics become a thing of the past.
About Native Events
Native Events was set up in 2017 as a response to the lack of sustainable solutions available to the events and cultural sector in Ireland. As the environmental movement gathers pace, Native Events work with an expanding community of partners in the sector including events, festivals and cultural organisations but also with the wider network of industry suppliers, ensuring a systems-wide transition to sustainability, circular economy and regeneration.
At ADE Green in Amsterdam in 2019, Native Events became a co-signatory with long term sustainability partner Body&Soul, to the Green Deal for Circular Festivals. This is an initiative of the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment, with 16 other international pioneering festivals, aiming to become circular by 2025. Native Events work to innovate new systems in collaboration with participating festivals by sharing knowledge and developing circular solutions for the international industry.
About Single use Plastics
Our love affair with single use plastic (SUP) products can be traced back to our move to becoming a more ‘on-the-go’ society. Some of the numbers are staggering- 22,000 disposable coffee cups sold every hour, more than 60% of people buy their lunch ‘on the go’ with each lunch averaging four packaged items. The negative impact on our environment has been huge and the need to shift our collective mind-set in relation to Single Use Plastics has in recent years been recognised globally. The Single Use Plastics Directive, which comes into force today (3 July), aims to deal with the items that represent in excess of 70% of the marine litter found on European beaches and in the marine aquatic environment.
Ireland wants to position itself to lead innovation in this area with clear policy incentives. In our Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy we are committed to significantly reducing the amount of SUP cups and food containers we use and we will explore mechanisms to enable us to ban a further range of SUP items such as wet wipes and plastic sachets containing toiletries and food condiments.
About the Circular Economy
A circular economy aims to maintain the value of products, materials and resources for as long as possible by returning them into the product cycle at the end of their use, while minimising the generation of waste. The fewer products we discard, the fewer materials we extract, the better for our environment.
The Government is to draft new legislation to implement a circular economy, involving a radical change to production and consumption, limiting single use products and clamping down on littering and dumping, among other measures. The Bill will implement many of the actions in the Government’s Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and the forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy, and will put that strategy on a statutory footing.
Across Europe, countries are adopting towards circular economy practices, and the European Union is pursuing its ‘European Green Deal’ strategy which has the circular economy at its heart. In March 2020, the EU launched its Second Circular Economy Action Plan. At the national level, Ireland is currently finalising its first Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy in order to ensure policy coherence across the public sector and to outline Government’s overall approach to the circular economy for stakeholders and the public.
About the Pilot Festival:
Ireland’s first music festival in almost 16 months with a capacity of 3,500 will be hosted by IMMA at Royal Hospital Kilmainham Dublin, in conjunction with MCD Productions on Saturday 3rd July 2021. The event is being produced by MCD in association with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Office of Public Works and Dublin City Council.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD confirmed that the pilot event will feature some of the country’s leading artists including Gavin James, Lyra, Denise Chaila, Wild Youth, Sharon Shannon & Wyvern Lingo performing full sets. The show will be hosted by The 2 Johnnies.
Gates open at 1500hrs with the first act on stage at 1530hrs. Times are subject to change. Event is over 18’s and ID is required.
PLEASE NOTE: Rapid antigen testing will be a requirement of entry to this event. Health specialists will conduct antigen tests prior to the event. For further details please visit https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/782f7-faqs-for-the-immarhk-music-festival-on-july-3rd/
Further information is available at:
Native Events: www.nativeevents.ie
MCD Pilot Festival: https://mcd.ie/artists/a-pilot-festival/