A Greener Festival Launches International AGF Awards

– Wonderfruit Festival in Pattaya, Thailand
The epitome of a modern eco-friendly event

A Greener Festival, the British non-profit organisation that helps events, festivals and venues to reduce their environmental impact, has launched a dedicated award ceremony.

The International AGF Awards aim to highlight a single best-in-class event for its sustainability across 11 categories. The ceremony will take place during the Green Events & Innovations Conference, which traditionally kicks off ILMC in London.

This year, the date falls on Tuesday, March 5. The award ceremony will follow the day’s conference sessions, and the opening of ILMC31 at the Royal Garden Hotel.

AGF co-founder Claire O’Neill said: “The significance of the International Greener Festival Awards is that for the first time we are crowning the top winner as the greenest festival in the world.

– Claire O’Neill
Co-founder A Greener Festival

“We also shout about the festivals with the best transport, waste, power and innovation to making the whole industry greener and those using their influence and reach for good. The purpose is to accelerate positive change by shining a light on the best ideas us humans are coming up with to solve our collective conundrums.”

A Greener Festival has been awarding festivals and other events throughout its 11-year history, but never in a dedicated ceremony. “The time has finally come to shine a spotlight on those who are doing the most amazing work in each of the sectors assessed, to recognise the individuals and suppliers who are breaking ground, and to ultimately present the top prize attainable,” the announcement reads.

More than 40 festivals from 17 countries across four continents were visited and audited by AGF throughout 2018. The winners of the International Greener Festival Award will have scored the highest in a detailed peer reviewed AGF assessment and analysis.

The exact reasons will be shared during the award ceremony, so other events can learn from the best practices.

Here are all the categories for the first International AGF Awards as released by A Greener Festival. A shortlist is to follow shortly:

“One of the biggest impacts if many temporary events. Audience, production, crew and artists with our transport sector still staggeringly carbon heavy, who’s smashing the pants of reducing their carbon footprint and still delivering the party!”

“Food is such a significant issue for sustainability for its ethical and environmental impacts both globally and locally. By consciously crafting our consumption choices and what we support with our bellies, we can make some huge strides to a more sustainable relationship between one another and our planet. (this would be called the greener food award but sounds a bit off!)”

“For the person who has shown an exemplary commitment, drive and passion to a cause or action to make events more sustainable. Providing inspiration, motivation and opportunity to help others to do the same.”

“This award is for the event who create the most incredible spaces, installations, shows or environments in the most ethical and environmentally sustainable way. “

“This one goes to the festival that has demonstrated a firm grasp of the need to close the loop on their resources flow. Every item that comes in to the event ultimately has a plan above disposal. Preventing waste, reusing, recycling and demonstrating the full traceability of all movement of materials both in and out of the event.”

“The winner of this award has shown clear environmental concern in their water usage and sanitation provisions, by reducing water usage and waste, minimizing production and poo mileage, eliminating unnecessary chemicals and separating liquid waste streams to allow natural biological processes to harness valuable nutrients.”

“This goes to the outstanding innovation, initiative or invention that has been a game changer in the green event space, that has disrupted business as usual, or has given a new solution to help turn something problematic in to something good. This award can go to either an event, and individual or a supplier that has stood out the most from the global event assessments.”

“Who has the silver tongue and skips along like the pied piper, luring unsuspecting victims to a greener way?! This award goes to the event that has had an excellent communication and PR plan which has resulted in significant cultural or behavioural changes for the greener good within and beyond their event!”