County Council launches pilot to make Cork festivals greener
Cork County Council has launched a new pilot programme to support the greening of festivals. The innovative programme will enable waste prevention at festivals throughout Cork County and support festival organisers in meeting sustainable goals. Pictured attending the first workshop of the Green Festivals Programme are the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan along with Rose Carroll, Tourism Development Officer, Cork County Council; (front right) and Louis Duffy, Director of Services Environment, Cork County Council. Also included are Ray Blackwell and Kevin McNally, Clonakilty International Guitar Festival and Sean Deasy, Timoleague Harvest Festival. Pic: Brian Lougheed
Three Cork festivals will receive training and support to run their events in a more environmentally friendly way, as part of a new Green Festivals Pilot Programme launched by Cork County Council.
Festival organisers from Youghal Medieval Festival, Clonakilty International Guitar Festival and Timoleague Harvest Festival have embarked on the new pilot programme.
Funded by Cork County Council, the programme will include training workshops, virtual support sessions and in person support at each of the festivals to assist in the implementation of environmentally friendly initiatives.
Delivered by Native Events, the festival specific programme focuses on waste reduction and meeting sustainability goals, from practical advice on how to reduce single use plastic, to the introduction of electronic ticketing and online promotional materials to reduce paper consumption.
New initiatives will be supported by guidance on how to establish the appropriate infrastructure, and for waste that cannot be avoided, organisers will be advised on how to maximise recycling and enable festival goers to segregate waste properly.
Welcoming the launch of the programme, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan said that it will be of “great benefit” to participating festivals.
“In excess of 60 festivals are supported annually by the Council and we are pleased to expand our support to include this programme, which I know will yield positive results for our environment,” she said.
“There is also opportunity for the festivals involved in this pilot programme to share their experiences, grow their support network and develop best practises for more sustainable events long into the future,” she added.
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey highlighted how Cork County Council is committed to finding sustainable solutions to waste management.
“We readily recognise the opportunity to support our much-valued festival organisers in implementing simple green initiatives which can produce significant environmental benefits for all,” he said.
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