Sustainable Laneways

You may not have noticed – but the Laneway Festival has been doing its bit for the environment for a few years now. In 2010, we’re set to go even further.

Starting in 2008, the Laneway undertook a comprehensive energy audit of its Melbourne event as a lead partner in the ‘Summer of Sustainability’ project with Sustainability Victoria and some of Australia’s’ leading music events.  In addition, the Laneway have been supporters of emerging sustainable technologies and businesses through the use of exciting sustainable innovations such as the ‘Solar Sounds’ solar powered sound system employed at the 2009 event.

Having undertaken some of the ground breaking ground work mentioned above, the Laneway festival is now informed, ready and willing to take sustainability at the event even further.

This year, the events ‘carbon footprint’ will be assessed in order to make the event, as much as is feasibly possible – carbon neutral. This will involve measuring the energy generated though activities associated with the event with the aim of purchasing carbon credits (created through renewable energy generation, or carbon sequestration through trees planted etc) equivalent to energy the event uses to ‘offset’ the events emissions, thereby making the overall net impact of the event – ‘carbon neutral’. 

The Laneway also believes that a strong environmental policy entails energy and resource efficiency. With this in mind, you’ll notice we’re making a real effort to divert as much waste as possible from landfill, we’re encouraging sustainable transport options, using compostable materials in catering and working with business partners to reduce our events overall environmental impact.

The Laneway is pleased to continue its collaboration with Creative Environment Enterprises in making the event more sustainable in practical, effective and interesting ways. The Creative Environment team have worked with events such as Reading, Glastonbury and Latitude in the UK – the Big Day Out and Golden Plains in Australia – and consulted to government of all levels locally and throughout the world so they know what they’re on about… when it comes to sustainability.

Finally, we’re not doing this just to make ourselves feel better or look good. We firmly believe that the Laneway, just like everybody else, should take responsibility for the impact of our activities on the world around us. Furthermore, we believe that by going on this sustainable journey, the Laneway festival can act as a means by which we can learn a bit more about how we can all incorporate sustainable ideas and practices into our every day lives.

So, we invite to learn with us, from us and maybe even teach us something along the way.

After all, we believe sustainability isn’t just something you do at home or in the office - its about everything we do in our lives, including enjoying time with friends, having a few beers and going off to some of the worlds best live acts at Laneway 2010!!!!!