Green the Scene: Being Environmentally Friendly at Shows
A look around a concert venue at the end of the night reveals a mess, with bottles, cans, and cups strewn across the floor or ground at outdoor shows. In some cases, fans are eagerly ripping off paper or plastic wristbands needed for admission, and despite convenient and easily accessible electronic tickets through ticketing apps, many still print tickets that are scanned once and never needed again. The parking lot is congested with traffic that spills out into the streets, and the headliner travels to the next city in their van, bus, or, for the really big hitters, private jet.
The concert industry is perhaps inherently bad for the environment.
With estimates indicating millions of water bottles are sold at concert venues each year, Screaming Females addressed the issue in a Twitter thread late last month.
Although some venues have adopted environmentally friendly practices like recycling and composting, some might be hesitant to implement a system that could cut into revenue and a later tweet pointed out the concern of the bottles being used to sneak in alcohol, fans were receptive to the suggestion. With filling stations popping up everywhere from gyms to museums, a concert venue is a logical choice, not just for the environment but for patrons, as well, especially in these summer months where outdoor concerts are common and fans are enduring the heat. Last summer, on the hottest day of the season so far, I was at a show where before the show had ended, the venue had run out of bottled water, and although it was late enough in the night that this wasn’t a major problem, things could’ve easily gone another way. A filling station would solve that problem.
Some artists have taken action and do take environmentally friendly steps behind the scenes, from the biodiesel-fueled tour buses to how how gear is transported to shows, not to mention outspoken support for environmental organizations or musicians’ own nonprofits. Some, like Jack Johnson, use their tour riders to require recycling and energy-efficient lighting, which has motivated some venues to make environmentally friendly renovations and revealed that sometimes, green changes are also cost-effective changes. Others have recognized the problem of single-use plastics, as well, and have taken steps to reduce their presence at shows.
One such step is partnering with r.Cup, a program with rentable reusable cups at events. A small deposit gets you a reusable cup for the evening, and at the end of the show, you can either return it and get your deposit back or keep it — and with your favorite band’s logo on it, you just might like it as a souvenir. Mumford & Sons worked with r.Cup on their spring tour, and the company is currently partnered with The Rolling Stones. They have also worked with artists such as Bon Jovi, U2, and Radiohead, as well as festivals like Warped Tour. The festival industry itself has also taken strides at being green, with some offering perks to patrons who recycle.
But green initiatives aren’t just for concerts. Some artists have taken to using eco-friendly CD packaging, and band Cloud Cult takes their efforts one step further by reusing plastic jewel cases with liner notes printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink, all packaged in biodegradable shrink wrap.
Even as fans, we can all take small steps to reduce a concert’s carbon footprint, the most obvious being carpooling or using public transportation, especially when the majority of a concert’s carbon emissions is due to fans’ transporation. But we can also take advantage of services like r.Cup — after all, such organizations are useless if we ignore them — and use reusable straws. We can use electronic tickets or recycle printed ones, and for those of us who still love a ticket stub as a memento, we can organize them in albums.
Despite the efforts being made, the industry could still go farther, whether that’s through venues using filling stations or more artists partnering with r.Cup and switching their releases and merch to more sustainable options. With many fans and musicians eager to help the planet, it’s up to venues to make that a little easier.
