FESTIVAL CITY ADELAIDE ANNOUNCES CLIMATE ACTION ROADMAP

Festival City Adelaide is teaming with Green Music Australia to pioneer a collective approach towards sustainability and regeneration among the state’s festival sector

Image by Thomas McCammon

In a fantastic initiative that’s sure to have a positive impact on the local music sector and environment, Festival City Adelaide has joined with Green Music to create the Climate Action Roadmap. This is a comprehensive environmental sustainability program that aims to achieve specific sustainability goals over a five-year plan. 

“The climate emergency is no longer looming on the horizon or happening in some distant place. It is here now,” said Justyna Jochym, Chief Executive of Festival City Adelaide. “And it is impossible to separate the sustainability of the festivals and events sector from the health of the physical environments we operate in.

“The Climate Action Roadmap has been an opportunity for our membership to tell us how it wishes to collaborate to address the climate crisis. Together we can generate industry initiatives and standards that pave the way for a regenerative and climate positive future.”

Funded by Green Industries Australia, the Climate Action Roadmap will tackle the issue of climate change through strategic activities designed to amplify confidence, capacity, collaboration and transparency in the sector’s response to the climate crisis. If it all sounds a little wordy, the simple message to take from this initiative is that the higher-ups in charge of our art sector are concerned about the environment and are coming together to do their bit to make Adelaide’s festivals and events more sustainable so they can continue to thrive without impacting the environment negatively. 

Susan Close, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, said “It’s incumbent on all parts of our community to help reduce the impacts of climate change and I’m really pleased to see the arts sector take a lead on this important issue. We have a proud history in South Australia of being at the forefront of addressing climate change, particularly through our embrace of renewable energy, and this initiative helps to build on this impressive legacy.”

It has taken two years of interviews, surveys, research and workshops to get to this point, with the Climate Action Roadmap consisting of five pillars: strategy, measurement and data, resources, advocacy and common action. The aim is to have all the boxes ticked and goals met by 2030. 

“South Australia is renowned for its exceptional festivals and its commitment to climate action, and here we see these leadership areas converge into action,” said Professor Ian Overton, Chief Executive of Green Industries SA.

“Green Industries SA is a proud funding partner of this Roadmap which can be implemented by festivals of all sizes to reduce their carbon footprint and help our state transition to a sustainable and circular economy.”

Berish Bilander, CEO of Green Music Australia, said, “We’re incredibly excited to be working on this landmark project with Festival City Adelaide. South Australia is home to some of the best festivals in Australia, many of which are already leaders in environmental sustainability. Now for the first time, through this partnership, Festival City Adelaide was supported to create a framework for change and collectively set climate goals and track improvements, modelling a template for action that other states can look to for inspiration.”

The collaboration has forged a new path that will help empower the festival sector to become a champion of sustainable and regenerative action in South Australia.

You can check out the full plan and all the details here.