Our Mission
Our environmental sustainability and education goals are simple and bold; we want to reduce negative human impact on our ecosystems and alternately, encourage responsible stewardship toward the land, air, sea, and renewable energy resources.
We are looking to harness the power of our musical community to transform our world. We need to go beyond “leaving nothing but footprints” and work together to create a real legacy of positive social and environmental impact. Our Green Vibes Initiatives outline the specific actions we’re undertaking as producer and host of the event, and specific ways VibeTribe can work with us to maximize our positive impact and bring about meaningful change.
As we plan to make this Gathering of the Vibes the greenest Vibes yet, we’re continuing to focus our energies on reducing our carbon footprint and further expanding our recycling program to bring us closer to our ultimate goal of being a zero-waste event. Our emphasis will continue to be on taking action to address the harsh realities of global climate change and reducing our waste generation through the efficient and thoughtful use of our dwindling resources. Volunteers will be onsite providing information on how, by joining our Green Vibes Carbon Cutters team, we can join together to reduce our overall carbon footprint. Embracing renewable energies such as wind, solar, bio fuels and small hydro are tangible things we all can do to make a real difference now. Our musical community has an opportunity, and even a responsibility, to demonstrate our leadership in this area and to set an example for others to follow as we continue on this journey together.
2011 Green Accomplishments
With your help, the Gathering of the Vibes made further strides toward reducing our eco footprint in 2011.
Extensive recycling program in partnership with Clean Vibes:
- 18,000 pounds of recycling was gathered and kept out of landfills.
- 100,000 returnable cans and bottles were collected
- The Green Vibes Carbon Cutters, our carbon reduction team, is now almost 500 members strong and has prevented close to 2 tons of CO2 from going into the atmosphere.
- Extensive mass transit and carpooling options provided: Seaside Park is within close proximity to buses, trains and ferries. Shuttle buses are available for those staying at nearby hotels.
- Vendor donation of unused food to local food banks and soup kitchens
- Artist Participation
- Environmental & social action awareness opportunities for attendees through our Green Vibes Stage workshops.
- Solar-powered cell phone charging station
- Event Programs were printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks
Greening Tips For Festival Attendees
Know Before You Go…
- Consider buying food from local farmers’ markets or bringing it from your own garden.
- Before your arrival, repackage all of your food into reusable containers.
- Bring re-usable cups, plates, napkins, etc. This will cut down on the amount of trash, recycling
and compost you produce at the festival.
and compost you produce at the festival.
Trash Your Trash
- Re-use is the name of the game! Try to re-use your plates, utensils, cups, etc.
- Secure your campsite belongings well to reduce wind blown trash and litter.
- Separate your waste into categories for trash and recycling.
- Do your part to help clean up any litter that you see during the festival. Be a model for others.
- After the festival, pack out everything you brought with you. Leave the area as nice or better
than you found it.
Be Considerate of Others
- Respect the community that you are visiting. By being a model festival-goer, you can ensure
that the Bridgeport community will welcome us back for years to come. - Follow the golden rule of festivals: treat other attendees and locals as you would want to be treated.
- Establish a clean and green camping community! Collaborate with other nearby campers to
share your resources and to Leave No Trace in a fun and festive manner!
This copyrighted information has been reprinted with the permission from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. For more info, contact Leave No Trace at (800) 332-4100 or visit their website at www.lnt.org.
