NACPA Keeps It Clean

It’s not easy getting green but now there’s a little more help.

About a year ago, the North American Concert Promoters Association approached Reverb, known for its environmental program solutions, to produce a report for the concert industry. “How to Green Your Concerts Without Breaking the Bank” is brief but filled with solid information on how to reduce the carbon footprints of concerts.

“We tried to look at the various areas of environmental impact that a show could have, and that a venue or a promoter could tackle,” Reverb GM Brian Allenby told Pollstar. “It’s a quick-start guide – the most bang-for-your-buck ideas are in here, the six things you can do, in order.”

The report covers steps for energy efficiency, recycling, office greening, water conservation and other topics. Each topic includes resources (NRDC.org or Surfrider.org, for instance) and real-world examples, like The Gorge for water conservation.

For those who think they’ve been there and done that, Allenby said there is at least one solution that is not implemented often enough, is simple to do and has great benefit.

“We’ve had great success offering incentives for carpooling,” Allenby said, citing Zimride as a company that helps implement the process.

“We were able to put together a great program with Live Nation called ‘Four or More Close To The Door.’ We have a dedicated parking lot at most of the shows. If four or more people show up in a car, they get a parking spot in a special lot that’s right next to the gates. The added value for venues is it cuts down on the amount of parking attendants and you’re getting people in and out of the venue that much more quickly.”

Allenby cited Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass., as a venue that has created a great carpooling system, and its dedicated parking area is usually at 90 percent capacity.

Another idea to reduce traffic is bike valet – a simple system where concertgoers can check their bikes in at the entrance.

“If you want to, you can even charge a little bit,” he added. The emphasis on traffic reduction is important because 70 percent of a concert’s carbon footprint comes from transportation, he noted.

The report is available at Reverb.org.

Reverb was founded by environmental activist Lauren Sullivan and her husband, Adam Gardner of Guster, along with Allenby. All three helped with the report.