The good news when you want to make your event more environmentally friendly is that there are many ways to get there. We already gave you some tips in a previous article, entitled” 30 concrete ideas for an eco-responsible event ”. However, we wanted to dig even deeper into this subject, which is important to us and on which we are also working. That's why we went to the side of events known for having a strong environmental conscience! Thanks to this investigation, we have this time identified 100 ideas for moving towards an ecological event. We will also share with you some of the best practices already implemented within the UNEXPECTED agency in order to help you organize events that are as memorable as they are lasting.

Get a notepad or open the one on your computer, because you may want to remember more than one idea!

The We Love Green Festival (France)

Let's start with a French event that you've certainly heard about. The organizers of We Love Green define their event themselves as an “ecological music festival” and they are right. Below are some of the reasons that justify this name:

• Installation of bins specific to each type of waste (compost, household waste, recyclable waste, cigarette butts);
• Installation of a large bicycle parking lot, but not a car park;
• Maximum reuse of various materials (scenography for example) and revalorization of what cannot be reused as is, in order to become a 100% circular festival by 2025;
• Experimentation on the deposit of bottles was conducted in partnership with Eau de Paris and BIBAK (Ex-The GreenGo Consignment);
• Implementation of a “plant instruction” in partnership with La Sauge : for 2 cups returned, 1 strawberry plant offered;
• Rental of most of the materials and equipment;
• Installation of a solar farm on the site;
• Dry toilet equipment;
• Partnership with the association Linkee which redistributes unsold food to marauding associations in order to fight against food waste;
• Opening a stand Black Market where it is possible to have your phone repaired for free;
• Offer of sustainable and local drinks: 30 of the 32 drinks are certified Organic Agriculture (AB), and 24 are produced in France, including 4 less than 200 km from Paris;
• SNCF discount vouchers offered to production teams;
• Organization of “Think Thank” conferences to raise awareness about the world of tomorrow;
• Obtaining eco-responsible awards and certifications (“Outstanding” by a greener future, trophy for eco-responsible Parisian events...);
• Realization of a carbon balance to identify areas for improvement.

Carbon balance We Love Green 2022

The Produrable Fair (France)

Professional exhibition for actors and solutions in the sustainable economy, Produrable is one of the key events on the sustainable development and CSR agenda. For their part, the organizers are committed through these various actions:

• Realization and publication of a carbon assessment in partnership with ClimateSeed ;
• Printing posters by Seeded paper ;
• Choice of an ISO 20121 certified location;
• Rental of furniture throughAlive, a player committed to sustainable development;
• Provision of Gobi bottles, eco-designed and made in France, for speakers and exhibitors. We told you about it in our article on our ideas for eco-responsible goodies to offer to your guests ;
• Use of vegetable inks and honeycomb cardboard for signage;
• Realization of programs using recycled paper and without staples;
• Proposal of organic, local, seasonal catering that limits animal proteins;
• Free access offered to students in exchange for a day of volunteering at the show in order to raise the awareness of a greater number of people, especially the younger generations;
• Animation SolarSoundSystem which consists of pedaling to charge your mobile phone while generating background music;

Produrable Exhibition Carbon Offset Certificate

The Primevère Festival (France)

The festival Primrose is taking place in Lyon and is already at its 37th^E edition! The event is an unmissable event for those who want to think about solutions that will make our world more sustainable. Many ecological actors are present, making it possible to multiply exhibition stands and conferences. Eco-friendly initiatives that we remember from Primevère:

• Distribution of organic cotton bags;
• Installation of a book exchange area;
• Printing documents on paper based on 100% recycled fibers;
• Organization of a bicycle exchange allowing individuals to buy, sell or exchange used bikes;
• Installing sinks to avoid disposable dishes;
• Highlighting organic, fair trade and artisanal products from different regions;
• Establishment of a children's area with fun activities designed to make children aware of environmental and social issues.

The Glastonbury Festival (United Kingdom)

David Bowie, Gorillaz, Radiohead, Radiohead, Tame Impala and Oasis were among the artists on the program of Glastonbury Festival. The event has been known since the 1970s for its strong activist tradition. In addition to its iconic concerts, the festival has a habit of promoting art in all its forms through various performances (dance, theater, circus...). Eco-responsible practices to remember from Glaston Bury:

• Provision of recycling bins;
• Realization of the selective sorting by hand after the festival;
• Incentive to use public transport, bike or carpooling to get to the festival and proposal to buy combined festival packages + bus tickets;
• Use of electric vehicles to transport artists to the site;
• Installation of free water taps so that everyone can fill their water bottle and reminder of the importance of responsible water use;
• Cessation of sales of plastic bottles for drinks;
• Recruiting a team to collect waste throughout the festival and once it is over;
• Use of compostable packaging, for example for packages of chips sold;
• Posting their “environmental policy” on their website;
• Organization of debates on environmental issues;
• Donations of millions of pounds sterling to their partners GreenpeaCE, OxfhathM and WaterAid ;
• Powering all the festival generators with sustainable and renewable HVO fuel without palm oil, made from used cooking oil. This reduces CO2e emissions over the entire life cycle by up to 90%.

The Green Man Festival (United Kingdom)

The Green Man Festival takes place in the heart of the majestic Brecon Beacons Mountains in Wales. A true eco-responsible jewel, this event combines enchanting melodies and keen environmental awareness.

• Setting up drop-off points at campsites to collect tents, sleeping bags, blankets, coats, food and shoes. This material is then sent to refugees around the world by the associations Help Refugees and Newport to Calais Aid Collective;
• Free, lockable bike storage space;
• Charging mobile phones using solar energy;
• Partnership with Ecolibrium to donate one pound sterling on each parking ticket sold. This mitigates the impact of CO2 emissions related to travel since the money is invested in projects aimed at finding solutions to climate problems;
• Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar and bananas come from fair trade;
• Guarantee that the fish served is not on the Marine Conservation Society's “fish to avoid” list.

Green Man Festival

The Greenbelt Festival (United Kingdom)

This English festival also combines music, arts and reflection on environmental issues. It highlights discussions about sustainability, offers organic and sustainable foods, and encourages participants to adopt more eco-responsible lifestyles. Here are some eco-friendly practices to check out Greenbelt :

• Proposal of a large vegetarian offer;
• Installation of a cup washing station to encourage their reuse;
• Free shuttle service between the nearest station and the site;
• Replacing plastic bracelets with compostable bamboo bracelets;
• Use of colored cords in place of plastic tape used to demarcate areas of the site.

The Into The Great Wide Open Festival (Netherlands)

Into The Great Wide Open is a multi-day event on the Dutch island of Vlieland. The festival aspires to change things: in terms of the perception of art, but also by producing the festival in a different way, that is, more environmentally friendly. Let's see how this is translated in practice:

• Manufacture of a reusable bottle for the public, teams, volunteers and artists. It sequesters more CO2 than it emits;
• Offer of first-class train tickets for artists who agree not to fly;
• Partnership with suppliers who deliver their goods largely without fossil energy. Preferably electric, but at least with sustainable biofuel;
• Possibility for festival-goers to participate in a carbon offset program by supporting reforestation or renewable energy projects;
• Collection of leftover food for a unique cooking workshop during which children aged 10 to 14 will be made aware of the fight against food waste;
• Organization of repair and recycling workshops to encourage the reuse of objects.

Into the Great Wide Open Festival

The Bio360 Expo Show (France)

This exhibition in Nantes focuses on themes related to biotransition, such as low-carbon transport, biogas, decarbonization and green construction. The aim of Bio360 Expo is to participate in the global effort to preserve our planet by accelerating the biotransition. Good ideas identified:

• Contribution to the projects of GoodPlanet Foundation (located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, it is part of our 10 favorite eco-responsible Parisian places);
• Calculating the carbon footprint with GreenMyEvent ;
• Carpet recycling;
• Upcycling the printed tarpaulins that are transformed into a bag and distributed to participants;
• Organization of a Mobility Fresco quiz with Shifters.

The Deauville Green Awards audiovisual festival (France)

The festival Deauville Green Awards has been committed for 12 years to bring together the most innovative impact initiatives and the best in responsible audiovisual creation for the Norman public. Some actions that caught our attention:

• Design of eco-responsible badges made without plastic;
• Prohibition of plastic bottles;
• Plantation of 1533 trees in partnership with Tree Plan;
• Partnership with BinHappy which collects and revalorizes waste from the Normandy region;
• Free invitation for students from Normandy aged 15 to 25;
• Wooden trophy.

The Climax festival (France)

In Bordeaux, three intense days combine conferences, trainings, concerts and artistic performances. The whole of this program aims at the same objective: to live a collective and unifying experience allowing us to stand together in the face of the darkening of the world. Here is an overview of the commitments of Climax Festival :

• 90% upcycled scenography;
• 100% organic and vegetarian menu;
• Establishment of 7 free water bars throughout the festival;
• Revalorization of urine by biofertilizer;
• Collection and sorting of cigarette butts thanks to Eco-Mégot ashtrays ;
• Use of 100% low-carbon electricity;
• Installation of photovoltaic panels.

The CSR commitments of the UNEXPECTED agency

Our practices within the agency are also evolving. We are thinking about ways to reduce the impact of the events we organize and have already implemented some new habits:

• Priority to renting furniture from service providers certified ISO 20121 and having the “Objective CO2” Label, which certifies their commitment to transport;
• Use of existing elements in the creation and deployment of our scenographies;
• Recycling of order boxes thanks to our partnership with Full carton ;
• Reuse of feather cards printed after the events by students from a design school;
• 50% of the caterers we work with regularly have ISO 20121 certification;
• Collaboration with printers who have the “Imprim'Vert” Label, using FSC-labelled papers and recycling their inks;
• Use of online ticketing to avoid the use of paper tickets;
• Priority to electric vehicles for transporting equipment to our events;
• Proposal to buy carbon credits from our customers in order to offset the CO2 emissions of their event.

And you, what will be your first action taken at your next event?