Festivals inspire our world, bringing together various stories, celebrating our diversity, and what we love. But these gatherings have an environmental impact we must address.
The European Festivals Forest, the Dutch not-for-profit foundation established in 2021, is a project that combats festival carbon footprints by planting a new forest in Iceland. Teaming up with the Icelandic Forest Service, it aims at planting 2,500 trees per hectare, including Lodgepole pine, Sitka spruce, Black cottonwood, and Downy birch.
The group of participating festivals is expanding and currently consists of Culturescapes (CH), ArtLink (SRB), ReMusica (XK), Noorderzon (NL), Rewire (NL), Schiermonnikoog Festival (NL), Usedomer Musik Festival (DE), Weissenhorn Klassik (DE), Reykjavík Arts Festival (IS) and Wonderfeel (NL). In a recent addition, the touring companies Brussels Jazz Orchestra (BE) and Flamenco Agency (ES) have also joined to offset their carbon footprint on the road.
The cost for seedlings and planting is €2 per tree. Carbon sequestration can be metered and certified at 1 tonne of carbon per 3 trees, over 30 years. A 1,000-kilometre flight can be offset, over 30 years, by planting 1 tree.
Culturescapes director Jurriaan Cooiman says: “The Culturescapes is a festival about cultural landscapes and connections between various peoples, cultures, and environments. Climate protection and cultural sustainability are as important for us as connecting artists and audiences from different regions of the world. Together with European Festivals Forest, we believe, we can reach a better future for all.”
In May 2023, the first trees of the European Festivals Forest have been planted at Tumastaðir, Iceland. And this was just the beginning.
