GREEN PAGES

THE OYA FESTIVAL TAKES GREEN RESPONSIBILITY!

Our goal is to build a profile as one of the most environmentally sound festivals in Norway, and we wish to give our visitors an opportunity to act environmentally conscious as well. Food and organic waste is used as biofuel, that runs the busses i Osle. There is a deposit on drinking vessels, and they will be used for producing heat and energy. The paper is recycled. All of the Oya promotional material is printed on recycled paper in a Eco-Labeld print house. In 2009 we could remove many of our diesel generators by making sure 70% of the energy was supplied by sustainable landline power. Also we tried out LED lighting at the Odden stage and could offer our audience a visual and more sustainable pleasure. LEDs use one third fourth of conventional lightbulbs. That why the Odden stage used one third of electricity needed for similar stages.

We are very proud that our effort as an environmentally responsible festival has been noticed on a national and international level. At the European Festival Award in January we walk away with prize as Europes Greenest Festival. The ”Green n`Clean Award is given in collaboration between European Festival Award and European Festival Assosiation Yourope. The award was in good company with the british prize ”The Greener Festival Award” we got this autum. We were also in Oslo City Hall recently where we took home the diploma as ”Oslos Greenest Business” a distinction given by Grønn Hverdag. The awards are a great inspiration to continue the environmental work.

Our responsibility stretches from how we plan and manage the festival, to how we choose suppliers and use our arena for environmental debate. We believe that it is important to measure the environmental improvements we do, and provide our audience with a guarantee that we are taking action and not just talking about the environment and at the same time set an example for others. That is why we in 2003/2004 we participated in the development of the criteria for Eco-Lighthouse certification (www.eco-lighthouse.com) of festivals. Three years ago we were recertified, and are now in the process of certification for the third time. The certification is based on a complex set of rules and demands that must be carried out before the Eco-Lighthouse certification is given. It includes, among other things, demands for HES (Systematic Health, Environmental and Safety) activities, lower environmental strain on the festival area, and the implementation of environmental measures both before and after the event has taken place.

CLIMATE

KLIMALØFTET (“The Climate Promise”)

In 2008 The Oya Festival gave its promise to work for emission reduction. We have set several goals to reduce our CO2 emissions. In 2008 the festival produces about 170 tons of CO2 according to Klimaløftes measurements. We have made the following improvements:
• Eco driving classes for our drivers.
• Shorter transportation distances for our goods and gear.
• 70% share of sustainable landline power instead of diesel and biodiesel generators.
• Several new emission-saving cars. This year we use 2-3 hydrogen cars and 2 electric cars.

The efforts have given results and we have reduced our carbon footprint to 132 tons of CO2.

DEBATE

Last year we got some of Norways most profiled politicians to come to our festival to discuss Norways role as a climate agent. The panel was challanged by Kristian Pladsen from Energi Norge (Energy Norway) and Ingeborg Gjærum in Nature and Youth. “An oil nation spearheading the fight against global warming, is´nt that kind of a drugdealer giving christmas presents to a detox clinic?” asked Kristian Pladsen. Se the photos in Østkantavisa.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU BUY!

The Oyafestival has an environmental buying policy. This means that we carefully measure what is bought and ensures that it is eco-labelled as far as possible. We want as little packaging as possible and store and reuse as much as possible. All promo-material, magazines, folders and posters are printed on recycled paper by an Eco-Labelled printing agency. The lanyards we use for decoration are printed on recycled by-products of corn and are 100% degradable.
For good advice and help to make the right purchases we are a member of The Eco-Label purchasing club. Eco-Label help us choose environmental products for everything from soap, to napkins and paint used during the festival.

See www.ecolabel.no for more info

WASTEMANAGEMENT

A big part of our environmental work is to keep getting better at managing our waste and get better at recycling the stuff that can be re-used for new products. We want to make it easy for our audience to contribute by sorting their waste in several fractions. Nature and Youth, Norway’s biggest environmental NGO for young people, makes a great effort both picking up what’s left behind, and sorting the waste in up to 14 fractions.
Last year 61% of the waste generated by the festival was made into new things, while the rest was sent off to be turned into energy. Green Point ensures that used, sorted packaging is recycled. Not only does this save the environment, there is also a great deal of money saved on limiting and handling waste responsibly.
It pays of for us and for the environment to sort and recycle waste. Emissions are reduced when old things are turned into new products, for example a kilo of oil is saved for every kilo of plastic that is recycled. (Source: Green Point) Most cardboard and paper can be turned into new products. Organic food waste that you help sort during the festival is used in the biogas production that fuel the garbage trucks and busses in Oslo. (Source Retura)
It should also pay to act environmentally as audience. Get the deposit back on your drink containers, holders, pizza and popcorn boxes, cigarette butts can also be delivered to refund. Or you can donate the money from your deposit to Nature and Youth at their stall.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Organic food at The Oya Festival- the tastier alternative.
Since the start of the festival it has been important for us to show the variation of culinary art made by the Oslo resturants. In 2003 we decided that the food prepared should be organic. We will continue this tradition with a whole-hearted focus on ecological food.
The Oya Festival is cooperating with Oikos (National Association for Organic Food). The vision is that all food prepared on the festival is made from organic produce, a goal we are close to reaching. Part of the goal is to buy organic and short-travelled food; vegetables from Vestfold county, meat from Oslo- area and chicken and eggs from Telemark county, all close to our region. Only the natural, pesticide-free produce is good enough for our visitors.
Also we hope to set an example for other event organisers, business sector and you as a private person.
The Oya Festival has since 2003 been certified every year by the Debio (state control agency for organic food) Look for their Ø-brand to see which dishes and produce are organic.
We give you the organic alternative at The Oya Festival – take it with you to your home!

Organic food at The Oya Festival- the tastier alternative.

9 reasons to choose organic:
1. You get food without pesticide
2. You get food with more taste – check the Oikos stand in the shopping area
3. You get clean food with no food “makeup”
4. Ecological farming takes better care of animals
5. Ecological farming is better for the water reserves
6. A scientific study made by the European Union in 16 countries state that organic food consist of a higher degree of healthy nutrition.
7. Organic food is not genetically manipulated
8. The eco-brand stands for thorough control- look for it in the Oya-menu
9. Organic is good for developing countries- find out why at the Oikos stand
www.oikos.no www.debio.no www.okologisk.no

THE OYA FESTIVAL PUBLISHES ENVIRONMENTAL HANDBOOK FOR FESTIVALS.

In close cooperation with GRIP, a foundation created by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, we’ve made the Environmental Handbook for Festivals and Outdoor Events. The book is written by GRIP and distributed in cooperation with the Norwegian Rock Association. The handbook builds upon experiences made by The Oya Festival and other Norwegian and foreign festivals and cultural events. Together with GRIP, we mapped how festivals affect the environment and what we could do to reduce the environmental strain. Unfortunately Grip closed down in 2008.

The book depicts how festivals can be adapted to the environment, with many concrete examples of how to organize the environmental work, map the environmental strain and carry out, follow up, and document environmental measures. Other festivals and outdoor events will hopefully benefit from the book. We’ve seen the need for such a book right from the start. If you’re holding a festival and want to build an environmentally sound profile, there is in any case a jungle out there of suppliers who deliver products or services that may or may not be equally environmentally sound. Good intentions and ideas about environmental work can easily be stopped by a backwards bureaucracy. The environmental handbook is intended as a tool for those who want to kick their festival up a notch or two.

Festivals generate an enormous amount of waste, and the way we see it, festivals should step up to the responsibility and reduce that amount to the best of their ability. When it comes to festivals, environmental compliance is often regarded as an economical issue. It can be both costly and time-demanding. The environmental handbook proves that environmental considerations aren’t necessarily costly, as well as ensures that you don’t have to spend a lot of time finding good suppliers that can help reduce the strain on the environment.
http://www.environmental-handbook.com

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

We are part of several international networks and cooperations to develop best practice and join forces. One such forum is Accelerating Change, a big network for knowledge shearing on practical environmental solutions in the festival business www.acceleratingchange.org. The Oya Festival is asked to contribute in various panels in Europe and USA, where it is discussed how festivals and events can get better at environmental work, latest was at Eurosonic in Netherlands in January. Together with Roskilde and Way Out West we are in a Nordic green festival alliance, where we learn from each other and we took a stand towards the Scandinavian politicians to sign a climate agreement at COP15 in December.

- an international climate agreement that ensures the global maximum global temperature rise of 2 degree Celsius. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have to cut emission to 40% by 2020.
- a fair deal that ensure poor peoples right to development.
- That the rich countries commit themselves to pay for development in poor countries by transferring green technology. This in addition to regular assistance

With or without a political climate agreement we continue to work with making our festival more environmentally responsible. 2010 we want to be a better year than ever with new big and small green experiences for our audience.