design
propositions
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The list below are a set of opportunities that would support and enhance the circular festival model. They are findings of our research, and YES a lot of them involve kelp... and YES we want to make these happen.
Did we mention our plans to bring this model to life in 2022?
circularity
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Material + Resource Exchanges Hub
This concept is used by many festivals in Europe to exchange and repurpose various elements of recycled waste, Tassie is a great place for this - partnering up with local tip shops is a great start!
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Emerging Seaweed Construction Materials
more on seaweed as a material here.
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Seaweed bioplastic visual checks - lanyards, wristbands etc.
biodegradable or consumable visual checks - wristbands could contain kelp seed and patrons actively offset their carbon by releasing the wristband into the ocean post festival. -
or land-based offsetting (wristband is paper, containing seeds)
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Merchandise BYO tee
By now you probably know, there are plenty of inputs to source and make a merch tee, and it doesn't usually happen on our own soil and the sustainability and ethics are a little bit muddy! Imagine, if we could still support our artists to make merch more sustainable? They don't get outpriced in material sourcing... you BYO tee to campsite and have it screen printed (cheaper for you, better for the environment and more money direct to artists)
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Seaweed + Sustainable Seating
Promoting materials that are low energy and production-process-impact (water, emissions, inputs, location made - transport to current location etc.) could go beyond direct-supply impacts of the festival, to consider the entire products life cycle (before and beyond). -
Hay bales; wheat bags, recycled timber are modular opportunities to avoid mass transportation of commercial furniture.
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Kelpist, are a company working to create weight-bearing material out of seaweed with the goal to create furniture. Learn more here.
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Seaweed Bioplastic rain ponchos
No one wants to be cold and wet, and we all know Tassie weather is unpredictable! We are excited to see emerging rain poncho design with bioplastic materials, but none yet with seaweed
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Seaweed + Sustainable Shelters
Work with students (university, school or other) to design and create sustainable shelters; -
For a long time seaweed has been woven into roofing structures, what if all our marquees and temporary-shelters were constructed using seaweed? (learn about this here)
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Reimagine Safety Stuff
Safety tape among other assets associated with site + stage are essentials. Can this form be reimagined? Otherwise, can we create bioplastic tapes that have the same effect? If this is not viable, we need a waste sorting system that takes into account this waste.
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food
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Seaweed +/or Mycelium Packaging for Transport
F&B transporting of supplies (all the way along the supply chain) mostly uses plastic packaging. Seaweed has a lot of desirable properties for food transport, including, 'mineral- rich, non-toxic, fire resistant, energy-storing properties, resistant to mould, flexible, insulating properties' (material district 2014)
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Paddock to Plate Evaluation Framework / Website
Whilst our assessment criteria suggests areas of consideration for F&B supplier selection, we foresee opportunity to develop and framework where food suppliers and vendors can actively contribute and share progress and evaluation of their supply chains and processes. Much like Tinder, this could support the organisation and supplier to find a match appropriate to both their needs.
water
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Nutrient - Containing, Biodegradable Toilet Paper
Such as Seaweed
Help break down matter quicker, allowing faster and higher quality results of composting. Seaweed has been used in a horticultural setting for as long as we can remember.
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Drinking Stations + Kitchen Harvest
Motion-censored drinking stations are a great thing. What if, we went beyond this, to ensure every drop of water has the most impact? A run-off catchment below the stations that grows produce for the F&B suppliers. That way, every drop is having maximum value. -
Could grey water at the festival support this produce system?
offset + awareness
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Offsetting using the Blue Economy in Tasmania
Our criteria for meaningful offsetting, suggest we should really be doing it in our own backyard. So does the research on degradation of our kelp forests in lutruwita/ Tasmania. There are emerging businesses globally which are focusing on this area, but none here. Some are mutualistically using kelp cage offsetting with salmon farming 'Algae can both reduce emissions and be an alternative raw material in feed. Some of the nutrients released from salmon cages are water-soluble and can be used to fertilise the algae and lead to increased carbon capture.' (click here to read more).
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Live Tracking of Offsetting
Apps and websites are evolving into this space - view the progress of carbon offset. Imagine, a livestream underwater camera watching your kelp grow, and measure the carbon sequestered at a point in time. Then you would know its legit!
energy
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Kinetic Energy
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Participatory energy generation powers certain stage lighting, using both old and energy technologies. Examples of this can include cycle for lights (old technologies), or dance for lights, an emerging technology using interactive tiles.
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The Power of Biowaste
If festival site has kitchen facilities, collect and repurpose cooking oils for biodiesel, to run generators. If the event site is regional but does not have kitchen facilities, collecting green waste from nearby farms and businesses is a great alternative, and mutually beneficial for all involved.
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Communal cool room
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Rethink the layout and function of the food vendor and bar area of your event. Rather than operating out of individual food trucks, consider a communal food shed or shelter in which vendors set up 'stalls' around a large, shared cool room. By creating a central F&B point with shared refrigeration, energy requirements are decreased.
waste
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Green Rewards
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Many hands make light work - clean-up shouldn't just be for the 'green-team' volunteers. Incentivising responsible rubbish disposal and clean campsites is a great way to get patrons doing their bit. Set up competitions which reward clean behaviour, and get creative! For example, this could include 'cleanest campsite' competitions, with the cleanest 10 campsite owners receiving a food or drinks voucher, or a ticket to a future festival or event.
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Food is not Waste
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Partner with local food drives (e.g Foodbank) to take food donations from food vendors post-festival
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Visualisation
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By visualising the existing waste problem within the festival industry, and the solutions in place at your event, patrons can directly see the results of their sustainable choices. Around the festival site, include experiential education opportunities such as videos and hands-on activities; make it fun and interactive.
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Tackling festival fast-fashion
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Fashion, and particularly festival fashion, is an incredibly wasteful industry that contributes massively to landfill each year. Encourage patrons to choose slow-fashion through a themed day/costume competition involving re-used/op-shop/tip-shop finds. Make sure to promote this pre-festival on social media channels and at ticket sale.