With over 35,000 people filling Fort Calgary for two days, the Calgary Virgin Music Festival and its associates wanted their lasting impact to only be a musical one, Roughly 2,000 kilometres of recycled toilet paper were employed at Calgary’s first Virgin Fest and the green affair was packed with other initiatives aimed at reducing its environmental impact.
Motorola let concert-goers charge their phones by biking and Enmax set up a trailer with common household appliances powered by solar panels on the roof.
“It’s one of those organizations that generally puts their money where their mouth is so by 2010 our Canadian operations have made a commitment to be carbon neutral,” says TD Canada Trust community relations manager Ellen Dungen.
The TD sponsored Green Spot–a small booth set up with computers and an internet connection also run by solar panels–had a bio-diesel demonstration with simple ingredients found around the city. The process involved taking leftover grease from fast food restaurants and adding chemicals to make a useful fuel.
“We want to make sure that we’re a leading organization in monitoring the regulatory environments around the world,” says Dungen. “We’re able to talk about some things with an environmental perspective and really attract the younger generation.”
Virgin Eco-Angels sorted through the recycling after giving VIP ticket upgrades to transit riders. A TRASHed tent gave out prizes and smoothies from solar-powered blenders. Trash, compost and recycling bins were supplied by Virgin for fans, although by the end of the weekend, not much can be said for the state of the site. No matter how much effort is put into environmental sustainability, 35,000 fans in a park over two days will leave a mark.