Attendees flood throught main entrance on Thursday, June 9.
I haven’t been to many music festivals or concerts in general. In fact, I could probably count all of them on one hand. The few that I have attended all have one thing in common. They are messy. So many cigarette butts, beer bottles and other random objects that are left as waste after everyone shuffles out of the venue. I’ve always done my part. I never throw trash on the ground and if it’s recyclable I do my best to hold onto it and take it home to recycle. While I can walk away feeling good about myself for doing my part, I know many green minded folks may cringe at the end of music festivals and concerts. Some may avoid them altogether, including artists. One eco-friendly band, Cake, refuses to participate in most music festivals because the amount of waste they create. This past weekend I attended my first ever Bonnaroo. It was an amazing experience, not just because I loved so many of the artists on their lineup but because there were so many social activism groups and recycling was a huge focus.
Bonnaroo partnered with Clean Vibes the year it started. The first year, 2002, they collected 113 tons of recycling. The efforts and outcomes have only grown since then. Its second year, 2003, they required all vendors to use compostable cups. In 2004, they initiated a composting program in conjunction with Clean Vibes. Last year Clean Vibes collected 150 tons of recycling and 45 tons of compost. Clean Vibes also posts volunteers that they refer to as Trash Talkers at all of the trash cans to help festival guests sort through their trash and put it in the correct receptacles – recycle, compost or landfill. (BTW I like that they marked it as landfill so no one forgets that’s where your waste is going. Trash is used so often. People might forget where, the refuse really goes.)
Attendees sort waste into three different disposal options.
I visited with some of the Trash Talkers volunteers and found some got really passionate about their cause.
“We got sort of angry at people because there’s so much trash on the ground and toilet paper and there are so many glow sticks. I’ve started to hate glow sticks cause it’s ridiculous,” said Cora Metrick-Chen, 19, of Iowa. “It’s really frustrating to have to pick up all the mess that’s left every night but it’s kind of satisfying to see how clean it looks behind you as you clean it up.”
While the Trash Talkers uphold the green conditions, many weren’t very familiar with recycling and composting prior to being assigned the position.
Trash Talker guides correct trash disposal
“Aside from standing in the sun a lot it was informative for us because, some of these things, we didn’t know,” said Carissa Shoemaker, 19, also from Iowa. “This experience indicates [guests] have very little idea about [what compost is]. But I guess we kind of threw them a curveball by having compostable plates and cups. “
Others who were already working to be eco-friendly found the position reaffirming their routines and encouraging them to do more.
“I recycle but I’ve never composted before. I think I’m going to start doing it because it seems pretty easy. It’s good for the environment,” said Tara Eckel, 21, from New Jersey.
So for anyone looking to stay Eco-Friendly and rock your socks off, consider Bonnaroo. I loved it and I’m not getting paid to say so. Check out my full length story about attending Bonnaroo for the first time featured on Newsok.com.
Tags: Bonnaroo, Cake, Clean, Ecofriendly, Green, Music, Music Festivals
