Castlemaine State Festival 2009
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Sustainable Festivals Resources
FOCUS ON PRODUCTION
Venue Selection

Venue selection has made a significant contribution to minimising the 2009 Castlemaine State Festival’s footprint.
- Many venues selected are easily accessible by foot or public transport.  Transport is minimised as people move between venues, eating houses, accommodation and attractions
- Many performances are held outdoors during daylight hours and a number of venues are low power sites.  Some have no power.  At Carman’s Tunnel visitors listen to music by candlelight.   Other venues have excellent natural light and ventilation.  

 Lighting And Sound Management

The following practice principles were explained during a TowardsCarbonNeutral interview with Pink Noise, a supplier of audio and lighting equipment to the Festival.


Reducing the Footprint of Lighting and Sound

-      Source from the local community.  We source local labour and equipment from the local community as much as we can.  This significantly reduces the transport requirement and also supports the local businesses
-     Minimise journeys.  We carefully plan the transportation of equipment and staff to minimise the number of journeys.   This includes deciding what form of transport will be most appropriate.  For example, using a truck produces more greenhouse gases but it could mean less trips overall.  
-      Plan equipment hire.  When equipment cannot be hired close to the event, consider hiring for a longer period than the actual usage requirement.    Again this may allow you to reduce the number of trips and is often more cost effective.
-       Minimise the energy used by lighting.  The idea is to achieve the required lighting effect with minimum consumption of energy.   We minimise the number of lights and use low energy lights wherever we can.  There are now lower wattage lights available which give good effects and high output.   Theatrical lighting uses the most power so this is an important area of focus.   
-      Switch off.  It makes a big difference if you switch your lights and audio equipment off when not in use.
TIPS FOR ARTISTS
Join the increasing numbers of artists who are aiming to create a sustainable arts practice!    The suggestions below have been gathered from a number of people and sources.  There will be many more creative and wonderful initiatives being undertaken. We have not attempted to cover artistic engagement with sustainability in arts practice.
1. use local food at your openings
2. use low energy lighting in your studio
3. retro-fit your studio, including using energy efficient lighting
4. purchase green power
5. turn everything off in your studio when not in use
6. use responsible waste disposal
7. standby is a killer
8. turn off the air cons and use a fan
9. use timers on your appliances and lighting
10. calculate the energy used by your tools
11. apply the same principles to your studio as you do in your home  
12. insist on low energy gallery lighting  
13. provide info at your exhibition / performance about how you are reducing carbon emissions
14. source materials with low levels of embodied energy
15. consider the embodied energy of the materials you use [see Resources]
16. be creative – make blinds to keep the heat out
17. reduce, re-use and recycle
18. use recycled materials and biodegradables wherever you can  
19. think about your health as well – don’t use toxic paints etc
20. can you use found objects rather than buying materials?  
21. use natural light and ventilation
22. make sure your suppliers are fair traders
23. draft proofing your work area makes it cheaper to heat and cool and uses less electricity
24. access online sustainability grants
25. explore solar powered possibilities, such as amplification
26. get a studio close to home so you can walk or ride your bike
27. be fantastic in managing your waste – try to make landfill go out of business
28. think about transporting your work – plan to make less trips
29. calculate the carbon footprint of your art practice  
30. carbon-audit your production then offset your usage

 The final tip from local Castlemaine artist Mark Anstey is both simple and profound
“use what you’ve got instead of going out to get another one”