Artisti in Piazza – Pennabilli: sustainability with Go Green

By project MINEV

Published on 27 August 2024

Italy

Emilia-Romagna

About this good practice

The Artisti in Piazza festival is curated by the Associazione Ultimo Punto and is held every year in June since 1997. It attracts over 50 companies and 350 shows and a total of around 20,000 people including staff and audience. Starting in 2019, from the collaboration with the Pennabilli Museum of Natural History, the Go Green working group was born: its aim is to monitor, activate, discuss and promote collective and individual sustainable actions that respect the environment and the planet, in order to raise awareness of the festival's sustainability among the public and the local community. The Go Green team consists of five full-time staff members and around 15 eco-volunteers. Go Green has been working closely with the local waste management agency for years on proper separation. In 2023, 100 roadside dumpsters divided into 19 ecological islands were placed plus about 40 self-managed stations made of recycled materials. Waste is centralised by eco-volunteers and collected daily. Since 2016, reusable glasses have been introduced and from 2019 the festival is plastic free. Children's toys are created by recovering recyclable materials such as cans, iron, paper and glass. The festival is also committed to reducing consumption, not only because there are many stages with LED lights and a mix of mostly renewable energy is used. Car sharing policies are pursued and two electric cars are provided to reduce emissions for the artists' shuttle service.

Resources needed

An additional service is required each year, including the rental and installation of 100 roadside bins and the subsequent compaction of waste for more efficient transport. Own funds are used (11.9% of the festival's total resources) with 5 people from the Go Green Team and 15 eco-volunteers.

Evidence of success

- 26,200 kg of waste managed in 2023 (25,015 kg in 2022)
- Expansion of the 19 street ecological islands set up for the festival in cooperation with the service company: construction of 40 new wooden recycling bins, increase of 16,000 litres of collection capacity equal to 3,000 kg of waste with the aim of reusing them for many years to come, thus reducing construction costs.
- 90,000 unsold bottles thanks to free water dispensers
- Creation of 6 composted toilets

Potential for learning or transfer

This initiative has a high potential for transferability. The creation of an internal staff group working on issues of circular economy and care for the environment is capable of raising awareness of respect for the environment in cultural contexts.
The GoGreen model can be used to build a national and international network of festivals committed to promoting reuse models and reducing waste, through the exchange of ideas and actions.
It is clear how collaboration with local authorities and dialogue with the public administration can help implement services for waste awareness.