Joe GallopSustainable live events charity Ecolibrium said donations from more than 35 of its members, including Wilderness Festival (cap. 10,000) and All Points East (40,000), in 2021 balanced the equivalent of more than six million miles of travel carbon emissions
The members, also including EMI Records and Universal Music UK, are funding projects that range from community-owned renewable energy and gardening projects in London to protecting threatened rainforests and ecosystems.
Total miles carbon-balanced by Ecolibrium’s members has reached more than 19 million since the charity was founded in 2015 by the operators of Boomtown (66,000), Secret Garden, Shambala (15,000), Bluedot (21,000) and Kendal Calling (27,000) festivals.
Members of Ecolobrium are required to measure and record carbon emission from travel, engage in initiatives to reduce travel impacts where possible, and donate to carbon-balance remaining emissions.
The donations are channelled into the charity’s two climate solutions programmes: Trees+, to support ecosystem regeneration and protection, and Energy Revolution, which invests in community-owned renewable energy generation.
Ecolibrium trustee and Bluedot and Kendall Calling director Ben Robinson said, “In 2022 we will support our network to explore systems and technology to reduce emissions from travel and widen the community to help more events and artists tackle their emissions.”
Universal Music UK joined the charity to measure and carbon balance staff travel miles from their UK offices in 2021. Ticket agent TicketSellers supported 13 of its festival clients to balance the equivalent of more than 690,000 travel miles by embedding the charity’s carbon calculator as part of its ticket check out.
Other festivals, events and companies that balanced their audience or staff miles include Balter Festival, Brainchild, Camp Kin, Elderflower Fields South, Emc3, Festival of Thrift, Gaia Nova, GT Bicycles, Malvern’s Classic, Illusive Festival, Into the Trees Festival, Just So Festival, Love Saves the Day, Threshold Sports, Timber Festival.
Donations to Ecolibrium’s Energy Revolution programme will go to projects including Energy Garden, which develops renewable energy projects and works with communities to create and maintain a network of gardens across London.