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h3.THE ØYA FESTIVAL GOES GREEN!

We are committed to become one of the most environmentally responsible festivals in Europe, and give our audience the experience of a truly eco-friendly festival.

We are constantly working with new ways of making the festival greener. To do this, we have found partners and suppliers that work towards sustainability and in their different ways have an environmental agenda that contribute to the festival. We have worked hard to find new ways of saving energy, making responsible purchases, reducing waste and shorten the travel distance for goods to our festival. We believe that it is important to measure the environmental improvements, and provide our audience with a guarantee that we are taking action and not just talking about the environment. This is why we have been certified as a Eco-Lighthouse. www.miljofyrtarn.no

We work closely with our partners in order to give our visitors a positive experience in making green choices at the festival and in their everyday life. Get a taste of high quality organic food at the restaurants and organic samples at the Oikos stand. Catch a ride with the tram on Tuesday to see Oslo’s greenest concert. Find out how to make eco responsible purchases at the Ecolabel stand (Svanen) or learn more about recycling at the Recyclomat.

In 2008 we made a climate reducing statement through the Ministry of Environments “Klimaløftet” (Climate Promise) campaign. This means that we have mapped where we could cut emissions and reduce environmental impact. We made several improvements that you can read more about further down. From 2008 to 2009 we cut our emissions with 21%. To put green issues on the agenda a debate with high-profile politicians is held as part of the festival program.

The biggest green improvement we have done this year is to drop all of our polluting generators. The Oya Festival now runs on certified green landline power thanks to our partner Hafslund. We estimate to use 75% less kwh compared to when we used generators.

It is important for us that the environmental work is not just an image booster. In addition to making Øya a greener festival, we want to encourage environmental responsibility elsewhere as well. By participating in developing the Eco-Lighthouse eco-certification system in Norway, we wanted to make our efforts easily measurable, and thereby set an example. In 2003/2004 the Øya festival was certified as an Eco-Lighthouse, and now in 2010 we are certified for the third time.

The certification is based on a complex set of criteria and demands that must be met before the Eco-Lighthouse certification is given. It includes, among other things, demands for EHS (Environment, Health 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.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

We take pride in showing our audience the variation of culinary art made by the Oslo restaurants. 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 Øya 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 closing in on. 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.
We also wish to set an example for other event organizers, businesses and individuals visiting the festival. The Øya Festival has since 2003 been certified every year by Debio (state control agency for organic food). Look for their Ø-brand to see which dishes and produce are organic.

Organic food at The Øya Festival- the tastier alternative.

9 reasons to choose organic food:
1. You get food without pesticides
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. Organic farming takes better care of animals
5. Organic farming is better for the water reserves
6. A scientific study made by the European Union in 16 countries state that organic food has 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 Øya-menu
9. Organic is good for developing countries- find out why at the Oikos stand
www.oikos.no www.debio.no www.okologisk.no

YOU ARE WHAT YOU BUY!

The Øya Festival has an environmental purchasing policy. This means that we carefully measure what is bought and ensure that it is eco-labeled. We want as little wrapping as possible and store and reuse what we can. All promo-material, magazines, folders and posters are printed on recycled paper by an eco-labeled printing agency.
For good advice and help to make the right purchases we are a member of The Eco-Label purchasing club. Eco-Label helps us choose environmentally friendly products for everything from soap, to napkins and paint used during the festival.

See www.ecolabel.no for more info

RECYCLING

A big part of our environmental work is to keep getting better at waste management 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 by 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 materials, while the rest was sent off to be turned into energy as district heating. 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 off for us and for the environment to sort and recycle waste. Emissions are reduced when old things are turned into new products. 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 turned into bio gas and bio diesel that fuel trucks and buses (Source: Retura).
It pays off even for our audience to act eco-friendly. We give the deposit back on your drink containers, beer holders, pizza and popcorn boxes. Even cigarette butts can be handed in for a refund. You can also choose to donate the money from your deposit to Nature and Youth at their stall.

More info at www.nu.no

KLIMALØFTET (“The Climate Promise”)

In 2008 we made a climate reducing statement through the Ministry of Environments “Klimaløftet” (Climate Promise) campaign. This means that we have mapped where we could cut emissions and reduce environmental impact. We made the following improvements:
• Eco driving classes for our drivers.
• Shorter transportation distances for our goods and gear.
• Several new emission-saving cars. This year we use a hydrogen car and 8 electric cars.

The lighting at the stage Vika is this year done on LED and energy saving bulbs. LED lights use approximately 40% less energy than conventional lightbulbs and can we therefore offer our audience a visual and more sustainable concert.

The efforts have given results and we have reduced our carbon footprint to 132 tons of CO2 in 2009.

AWARDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORK ABROAD

We are very proud that our efforts as an environmentally responsible festival has gained recognition on a national and international level. At the European Festival Award in January we were awarded Europe’s Greenest Festival; The Green ‘n’ Clean Award which is given in collaboration between European Festival Award and the European Festival Association; Yourope. The award accompanied the British ”A Greener Festival Award” which we received in autumn 2009. In December 2009 we received the distinction ”Oslo’s Greenest Business 2009” in Oslo City Hall by the NGO Grønn Hverdag.

ENVIRONMENTAL HANDBOOK FOR FESTIVALS AND OUTDOOR EVENTS.

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 leans on the expertise of The Øya Festival and other Norwegian and foreign festivals and cultural events. Together with GRIP, we tracked 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 adapt to their environment and not the other way around, and holds many examples on how to organize environmental work, map the environmental strain and carry out, follow up, and document the changes made. Other festivals and outdoor events will hopefully benefit from the book, since we ourselves have felt the need for such a book from the beginning.

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. Environmental compliance is often regarded as an economical issue in the festival world. It can be both costly and time-demanding. The environmental handbook proves that environmental considerations aren’t necessarily costly, and ensures that you don’t have to spend a lot of time finding good suppliers that can help reduce the strain on the environment.
www.environmental-handbook.com