by Monica Schrock

Many of you may know SXSW as one of the premiere music, film and interactive festivals in the nation, bringing an array of exceptional and unique talent to the lone star state every year.  You may not know that this year’s SXSW festival will bring a new exceptionality to the streets of Austin, TX… sustainability.  SXSW 2010 is striving to reduce the carbon footprint of their music and film festival March 12th – 21st.

SXSW became a carbon neutral company in 2006 and have been reducing their footprint ever since by using less energy as well as cleaner energy and supporting companies that do the same.  The music department has been using the paperless registration process since 2003 and was able to save 12,000 pieces of paper last year, inspiring the film and interactive departments to do the same. Their other efforts include installing solar panels, using hotels with sustainable hospitality training as well as encouraging fans and professionals to use green lodging.  They also give fans visiting Austin easy access information to public transportation, walking directions, bike renting affiliates and carbon offset programs through Enterprise Rent-A-Car. To top it all off SXSW is advising all bands and professionals to green their marketing programs at the festival.  If paper is necessary, they urge that the brochures and flyers be printed on FSC certified paper, the same paper that all SXSW directories and event publications are printed on.

This year, support SXSW’s sustainability efforts by implementing some of your own on your trip to Austin. Reduce your footprint by carpooling with your friends, bringing reusable coffee mugs and water bottles, and taking advantage of the public transportation in downtown Austin.

View the SXSW 2010 Promotional Video:

Everyone knows that transportation is the largest challenge for the music industry when trying to be more green.  Whether it is the performers tour buses and their 150,000 lbs of annual CO2 output or the many fans driving to shows from miles away, it is a real problem without an easy answer.   Purchasing carbon offset credits for the carbon that fans and bands create related to music events is one solution with a potential real impact.   The Bumbershoot Festival, taking place in Seattle on Sept 5th through 7th, has made it easy for fans to purchase their carbon offsets by allowing an optional $2 charge to be added to tickets to purchase a 367 lb offset.  We think this is a great idea and all performance events should provide this option to fans.

We applaud Bumbershoot’s continued commitment to being a green festival.  Find out more on their Green page.

From the Bumbershoot site:

How do we do it?

• A “carbon offset” balances the impact of unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions produced. How? When you buy an offset you purchase an emission reduction credit. This in turn is money invested in a project, such as a clean energy or reforestation project, that results in less carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than would otherwise occur.
• Bumbershoot purchases carbon credits to offset all artists’ transportation (air and ground, both to and from the Festival). These credits are purchased from NetGreen, a Northwest offset provider that offers project-based offsets. Projects that receive funding from NetGreen are designed and evaluated for carbon-reducing services not currently available without some sort of investor funding.
• In 2008, Bumbershoot offset 251.5 metric tons of greenhouse gas!