18 February 2010

Tropfest Canberra a Seriously Green Event

| bush goddess
Join the conversation
14

The Tropfest screening at Stage88 in Commonwealth Park this Sunday is a Seriously Green Event and hopefully, the initiatives implemented at this gig will become the norm for all other outdoor events in the ACT. With more than 23,000 people expected, the impact on sometimes sensitive public areas can be pretty harsh and, with that thought in mind, the event managers have decided prevention is more effective than cleaning up afterwards!

This arvo the Big Screens are being erected and ****connected**** to GreenChoice renewable energy which will supply all power needs for the duration of the event.

Attendees are requested to take a little more personal responsibility and bring their own water bottles as the SES are providing a tanker-full of fresh water and, for a once-only gold-coin donation, bottles can be re-filled.

The Waste Busters – students from the Orana School’s River Health and Stars of Hope programs are volunteering at the new Waste Sorting Station to advise the film-buffs where to dispose of their waste – into compost, recycling and rubbish so it doesn’t all have to go to landfill.

As a condition of trading, all food and refreshment concessionaires are required to use only biodegradable packaging and utensils with emphasis on the use of locally sourced organic and fair-trade produce wherever possible.

To minimise the use of printed paper, the Tropfest program can be downloaded from the ACT Government Event’s website – www.events.act.gov.au

Attendees are encouraged to use public transport, cycle, walk or car-pool and to bring their own reusable rubbish bags to take their waste home and dispose of appropriately – into your own worm-farm or compost heap!

2010 Tropfest is on Sunday 21st February at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park, commencing at 3.00pm and
concluding at 11.00pm. This is a free event and absolutely stunning sitting under the stars watching fab films and cheering on our own Canberra film-makers……Shannon [Fishlips], Liam [Awakening] and Scott [Every Second Weekend]……..see you there!!

Join the conversation

14
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest
barking toad4:56 pm 23 Feb 10

Nice to see the majority of punters here agree that the whole green/sustainable issue is a “great big tree hugging hippie piece of crap” (thank you Eric Cartman).

SES should have got donations in buckets without having to fill water bottles for hippies.

I understood the water tanker thing was a fundraiser for the SES.

Clown Killer10:52 pm 22 Feb 10

As for those who complain – what did you do to help the Festival become greener?

I gave it a big miss. No attendance = no environmental impact.

Once again most of the comments here are negative. I went to Tropfest and was impressed at the biodegradable cutlery and plates etc being used.

Of course things could be a lot better but I congratulate the organisers for having a stab at being sustainable – there are plenty of festivals (and retailers) who don’t.

As for those who complain – what did you do to help the Festival become greener?

That’s funny, I hear only crickets chirping 😛

The supposed ‘Green’ effort was a token at best. Seriously, if you’re going to make an effort to ensure all the rubbish is going to be collected, correctly sorted and disposed of put the collection points where they are accessible to the majority of those in attendance, not put the one single point tucked away in an obscure corner where the majority of people had great difficulty getting to. That’s why there were piles of rubbish all the place after it finished.

Hot tip for being ‘green’ with your power. Step 1, use less! Leave all the spotlights that are shining up into the trees off until it gets dark. A spotlight sucking down a few hundred watts is doing nothing during the day you peanuts! I was there around 3pm and most of the spotlights were on then.

It smacks of yet more pointless green ranting by the ACT Government in an attempt to pat themselves on the back me thinks. But hey, Kevvy and Garret would be proud!

As for the film that won, yep, loved it 🙂

Clown Killer8:47 pm 19 Feb 10

A seriously token effort. It would be more accurate to advertise it as a ‘greenwash’ rather than it having any valid environmental credentials.

In Canberra our electricty comes from baseload power generated via coal fired power stations and peak load from the Snowy Mountains Scheme (whichin itself is an environmental disaster) with about a half of a poofteenth from the various so-called ‘renewable’ sources. Bottom line: you just pay more for the fuzzy feeling.

What’s with trucking water in? I’d love to compare the carbon foot print of that versus just turning potable water taps on.

Grrrr said :

“GreenChoice renewable energy” – isn’t that just the same old power that everyone else is getting, except you pay more for it in order for them to invest in some “green initiatives”?

GreenPower FYI

GreenPower is renewable energy sourced from the sun, wind,water and waste and produces no greenhouse gas emissions.

GreenPower uses less water as renewable energy generators use much less water than coal and gas powered stations.

Do you still think that there is ‘nothing special about it’?

Trunking symbols3:53 pm 19 Feb 10

GreenChoice? More like GreedChoice.

Public transport on Sunday evenings, ha!

TheVirulentOne5:24 pm 18 Feb 10

This kind of greenwash always make me laugh. These initiatives are all based on saving money for the organisers in one way, or maximising their profits in another. A ‘gold’ coin donation for water, how many thousands will they rake out of that? Yeah, bring your own rubbish home, why should the organisers have to foot the bill from their inflated profits? Another green joke foisted on the ACT.

Pommy bastard4:10 pm 18 Feb 10

Hippies, bless.

bloody greenies 😀

The event finishes around 11pm, and they are encouraging attendees to use public transport? I’m pretty sure there are no buses on Sunday running that time.

“GreenChoice renewable energy” – isn’t that just the same old power that everyone else is getting, except you pay more for it in order for them to invest in some “green initiatives”? Nothing special about it. I’d rather they removed the Choice bit and were forced to invest in a bunch of economically viable, sustainable measures (if that’s not a contradiction in terms.)

“SES are providing a tanker-full of fresh water” – sheesh, what’s wrong with the water taps around stage 88? Don’t bother driving a 10-tonne truck loaded up with water into the venue, wasting a whole pile of diesel.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.