Silence and Noise - Day 4

On concerts and shows.

Since February, I had been looking forward to the July 9 Punch Brothers concert in Prospect Park. If you haven’t listened to them yet, check them out. Their talent is off the charts.

All week, I was mapping out how to have a successfully waste free concert on Thursday evening. Here was the plan:

1. Head to the Merchants and Advocates of Great Beer on Orchard Street and pick up my very first growler (~$5)
2. Fill up the growler with some local beer on tap
3. Pack 4 mason jars for my friends and me
4. Bring the funk
5. Head to the show

Growlers, half-gallon refillable beer jugs, are refilled straight from the tap and are a great way to limit your waste on beer cans and bottles. A one-time purchase of a growler can last a lifetime and save you a ton of money. Refills for the entire half-gallon range from $4 to $15. Freshly refilled growlers have a shelf-life of 7-10 days and around 2-3 days once opened. With the rise in microbreweries, growlers are the ideal waste-free solution to try a new beer on tap and even save some for later. While I am hardly a beer or alcohol connoisseur, the idea of supporting local breweries totally works for me.

Rushing to the show to stand on line early, I decided to re-check what time the doors opened and saw some very disappointing news: no alcohol allowed.

In a moment of disappointment, I brought my growler back home to save it for another social event (must be within 7-10 days, so friends are welcomed over this weekend!).

Heading to the show, I hung my head in dismay as I purchased some pink lemonade in lieu of beer. While I intend to recycle the bottle, I learned that researching and planning ahead is critical. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Farm on Adderley was catering for the concert, who uses 100% paper-based compostable plates and bowls.

  

After the show, I was impressed not only by the performance but also by the lack of trash I noticed at the Prospect Park Bandshell. However, this concert was certainly an outlier.

Concerts and festivals are notorious offenders for waste, and there are interventions you can take to lighten your contributions to the vast amount of garbage left behind. Ironically, the Global Citizen Earth Day Concert this year on the National Mall left behind an inordinate amount of trash.

The Association of Festivals (who knew this existed?) estimates that 80% of trash left behind at festivals is from campers and day-goers. Nearly 70% of the waste is bottles, cans, food scraps, and paper while the remainder is typically sleeping bags, chairs, gazebos, and clothes. I've seen a few pairs of pants lying around after festivals myself and have been very confused. Dude, you left your pants?!

Very timely, the Guardian just released an article titled "The cost of staging a music festival: 'We spent £30,000 on the waste'". In the article, it breaks down the cost of where you $100 concert ticket money really goes. Let's take a 10,000 person event with tickets at $100 each. That's $1 million in sales. Security can run upwards of $200,000 or more. Electricity at such an event runs about $110,000, and waste-hauling and management, toilets, and trash bins land as the highest cost at about $300,000. The worst part? This is essentially a one-time investment on an open green field that disappears in the following days, leaving a pretty unsightly environmental footprint. 

At events like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo, the environmental problems stack up quickly and trash is the leading cause of problems as over 100,000 people assemble to party for days. For some insight, Burning Man and Bonnaroo have been highlighted as progressive recycling venues with composting and free water. Especially at Burning Man, participants are encouraged to leave no trash behind. Coachella and Lollapolla, however, have been cited as egregious offenders for waste generation. The worst festival? South by South West, due to the number of attendees and difficult-to-manage sprawling venues. The streets are often littered with thousands of band fliers trying to attract SXSW goers to their shows. 

There are options, however. A Greener Festival is taking on the challenge of greening events. They can be hired in tandem with event companies to run a light-carbon footprint event. Organizations are stepping up to the challenge of cleaning up the aftermath of our love for music.

As a concert-goer (or tailgater), here are some ideas for ways to go waste-free:

• Mason jar: Not only are you the trendiest cup-holder at the show, but you can also refill with water or other beverages at any time. You can put the lid on it shake your drink or keep it in your bag to drink it later.
• Bandana: You can use it to tie your hair back, pat yourself dry after a solid dance session, or use it as a napkin when eating. To be honest, I use my hankies all the time in life. Once you go handkerchief, you'll never go back.
• Drawstring bag: A bag is always useful to carry snacks like dried nuts and fruit at concerts or after the show. You can also throw recyclable or compostable stuff in it in case there are limited options at the venue.
• BYOS: Bring your own silverware. I keep a foldable spork in my bag. You never know when you will have a meal on the go and don't want to waste yet another plastic fork or spoon.

You can also volunteer to help clean up afterwards at shows and patron events that have eco-consciousness as a priority. 

As a festival, concert, or party planner, here are some ways you can reduce your waste:

• Allow the use of only biodegradable disposables or re-usable cups and plates at stalls or in your house (or better yet, use real if you are hosting a house party!)
• Provide separate bins for recycling
• Utilize volunteers and potential sponsorship for the clean-up and sorting efforts
• Offer separate bins for waste and recycling
• Involving the crowd by supplying recycling bin bags and have the band make an announcement about the options available

As promised, waste-free lunch side idea: watermelon and mint salad.

• 1/2 watermelon
• Freshly picked mint or mint from a farmer's market

Simply carve out the watermelon and chop up the watermelon inside and mint. Use the watermelon rind as your bowl for a truly waste-free, no dish meal. The flavors together are marvelous in the summer for a refreshing lunchtime snack. I would suggest composting the watermelon rind and buying a mint plant for $3.99 for a forever supply of mint. Basil, lettuce, cilantro, and parsley are also very easy to grow at home.

Total daily waste: one pink lemonade bottle.

Over the weekend: traveling waste-free.