Nairobi/Arendal,
21 July 2008-Two top Norwegian music festivals
are joining the international fight against
climate change.
They are the Hove Festival,
a rock event that this year featured acts
including Beck, Duffy, and rapper Jay-Z,
and Canal Street-a jazz and blues festival
that opens today featuring legends John
Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, and The
Waterboys.
The two festivals, run
from the southern city of Arendal, are the
first music events to sign on to the UNEP
Climate Neutral Network (CN Net).
The network, whose other
participants include countries such as Costa
Rica and New Zealand as well as cities and
companies, aims to federate solutions and
actions to realize a low, even zero pollution
world.
The two summer festivals
believe they could become a blueprint for
a green global music festival movement in
partnership with UNEP.
The main purpose of
the partnership is to create a European
network of music festivals that can learn
from each other and push each other to become
even more sustainable in the future.
Eventually it is hoped
to federate the initiatives to other continents
such as Asia and North America.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP's Executive Director, said:"The
greening of live musical events represents
an opportunity to lower the carbon footprint
of not only the entertainment industry,
but those of millions, if not hundreds of
millions of people world-wide".
"The Hove Festival
and Canal Street can serve as models for
musical and entertainment events everywhere.
Climate change top the charts as the number
one challenge facing this planet. Unless
all sectors of society step up to the bar
and address this challenge, we will all
be singing the blues," he said.
The Hove Festival, which
attracts audiences of 50,000, is offsetting
its carbon footprint by contributing to
UN-approved Clean Development Mechanism
projects in China. Other energy-saving measures
included solar chargers for mobile phones,
electric golf carts for on site travelling,
and LED lighting systems powered by wind
and solar power.
Morten Sandberg, the
festival's organizer, said: "The leaders
of the Hove Festival have been in the international
music industry for the last 18 years and
have a unique network, which includes other
leading festivals as well as international
booking and management companies of rock
stars and bands all around the world".
"We are sure that
this new UNEP-led music network can grow
to become as powerful as the network UNEP
already has established with the sports
industry, including the Olympic Games and
the FIFA World Cup," he added.
The Canal Street jazz
and blues festival, which opens today, has
also adopted a raft of climate and environmentally
friendly measures for the 30,000-audience
event. The festival is cooperating with
the Hove Festival among others on the mapping
of its carbon footprint and on how to reduce
its energy consumption.
Hans Birger Nilsen,
Canal Street's organizer, said: "I
think there are enormous opportunities to
take these ideas forward to an even larger
audience. One of the first opportunities
will be to share our experiences and actions
at Europe's Jazz and Blues Congress in November".
Nick Nuttall, Spokesperson/Head of Media,
UNEP
Anne-France White, Associate Information
Officer
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Rock and Jazz Festivals
Tune into Climate Friendly Concerts
Nairobi/Arendal, 21
July 2008 - Two top Norwegian music festivals
are joining the international fight against
climate change.
They are the Hove Festival,
a rock event that this year featured acts
including Beck, Duffy, and rapper Jay-Z,
and Canal Street - a jazz and blues festival
that opens today featuring legends John
Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, and The
Waterboys.
The two festivals, run
from the southern city of Arendal, are the
first music festivals to sign on to the
UNEP Climate Neutral Network (CN Net).
The network, whose other
participants include countries such as Costa
Rica and New Zealand; cities and companies,
aims to federate solutions and actions to
realize a low, even zero pollution world.
The two summer festivals
believe they could become a blueprint for
a green global music festival movement in
partnership with UNEP.
The main purpose of
the partnership is to create a European
network of music festivals that can learn
from each other, challenge each other and
push each other to become even more sustainable
in the future.
Eventually it is hoped
to federate the initiatives to other continents
such as Asia and North America.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP’s Executive Director, said:”
The greening of live musical events represents
an opportunity to lower the carbon footprint
of not only the entertainment industry,
but those of millions, if not hundreds of
millions of people world-wide”.
“The Hove Festival and
Canal Street can serve as models for musical
and entertainment events everywhere. Climate
change top the charts as the number one
challenge facing this planet. Unless all
sectors of society step up to the bar and
address this challenge, we will all be singing
the blues,” he said.
Hovefestivalen
This musical event attracts
audiences of some 50,000.
Morten Sandberg, the
festival’s organizer, said that the carbon
footprint of the 2007 festival accounted
for just over 1,300 tons. This was calculated
among others by the use of a specially developed
online carbon calculator and in close cooperation
with CO2-emissions data experts. This year’s
carbon footprint is now being quality checked,
and we are eager to see the difference and
analyze this further in order to learn more
about how we can continuously reduce our
impact on the climate.
Participants, including
staff and acts, where invited to pay by
SMS or credit card for their individual
carbon footprint caused by their travel
to the festival and during the event’s operations.
The funds are being
used to support a methane-into-electricity
project on a landfill in China approved
by the United Nations as a Clean Development
Mechanism project.
Other energy saving
measures at the Hovefestival included solar
charging points for mobile phones, electric
golf carts for on site travelling, and LED
lighting systems powered by wind and solar
power.
In 2008 targets were
also set for boosting recycling from a fifth
to 50 per cent. Public awareness eco-debates
were also held in cooperation with GRID-Arendal,
UNEP’s polar centre.
Mr Sandberg said: ”The
leaders of the Hove Festival have been in
the international music industry for the
last 18 years and have a unique network,
which includes other leading festivals as
well as international booking and management
companies of rock stars and bands all around
the world.”.
“We are sure that this
new UNEP led music network can grow to become
as powerful as the network UNEP already
has established with the sports industry,
including the Olympic Games and the FIFA
World Cup,” he added.
Canal Street
This jazz and blues
festival, which opens today in Arendal,
has also adopted a raft of climate and environmentally
friendly measures for the 30,000-audience
event.
These include certified
organic and Fairtrade T-shirts; the introduction
of organic cotton and paper bags in the
city area to reduce plastic bag use, and
the sourcing of certified green energy for
the concerts.
The festival has through
several years been building up an environmental
profile, and is cooperating with the Hovefestival
among others on the mapping of the carbon
footprint and on how to reduce the energy
consumption of the festival.
Funds raised by the
offsets are also going to support UN-approved
Clean Development Mechanisms in China.
Hans Birger Nilsen,
Canal Street’s organizer, said: ”I think
there are enormous opportunities to take
these ideas forward to an even larger audience.
One of the first opportunities will be to
share our experiences and actions at Europe’s
Jazz and Blues Congress in November”.
Notes to Editors
UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network www.climateneutral.unep.org
Canal Street www.canalstreet.no
Hovefestival www.hovefestival.no
Nick Nuttall, Spokesperson/Head of Media,
UNEP
Anne-France White, Associate Information
Officer
