24 Apr BYOB Water Stations and More
SunFest 2023 is going green behind the scenes!
In an effort to increase its sustainability initiatives, SunFest 2023 is going green behind the scenes and inviting festival goers, artists and vendors to join the effort. Always committed to recycling and sustainability, SunFest organizers have also joined the BYOBottle campaign for 2023 – a music industry effort to turn the tide on plastic pollution.
“To meet our nonprofit mission of giving back to the community, our focus on green initiatives has always included recycling and reusing, conservation efforts and incorporating initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint,” said SunFest Executive Director Paul Jamieson. “Through our partnership with Jack Johnson’s team, we are now also participating in the BYOBottle campaign – by providing water refill stations both backstage for artists and throughout our festival site.”
The BYOBottle campaign engages artists, venues, festivals and fans to reduce plastic waste in the music industry by promoting reusable water bottles and water refill stations at music events. BYOBottle has signed on over 233 artists, 75 venues and festivals, and 79 nonprofit and business partners worldwide.
In addition to the new BYOBottle campaign, SunFest 2023 will continue to offer bike valet and pre-paid parking to encourage carpooling. In addition, the festival uses digital tickets and has made efforts to reduce handouts on site. They have eliminated helium balloons, styrofoam and plastic straws. Food vendors donate excess food to local pantries, and tents, tables, docks, signage and more are reused each year. Last year, SunFest recycled nearly 50% of the waste generated at the festival, according to the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) and most single use plastic was recycled.
“SunFest 2022 yielded a significantly greener impact, generating half as much waste as previous years,” said SWA Events Coordinator, Patti Hammond. “In addition, they recycled more than six tons of materials.”
“SunFest 2023 is also partnering with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to retire renewable energy credits for the festival to help offset our carbon footprint.”
This year, SunFest is proud to be incorporating Tellus products for bands, volunteers and VIP areas. Tellus is a sustainable solution for packaging and food service products like plates, bowls, and take-out containers created using upcycled leftover sugarcane fiber from the sugar milling process. Jointly owned by Florida Crystals Corporation, Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, and American Sugar Refining, Inc., Tellus is supported by over 45 family farms in South Florida who have a rich history of carefully cultivating sugarcane and vegetables for generations.
“We have all seen images highlighting the shocking seas of plastic waste left behind after concerts and festivals,” continued Jamieson. “We are excited to add a partnership with this campaign to our current efforts with FPL and the Solid Waste Authority. SunFest 2023 is committed to being part of the growing momentum within the music scene to turn the tide on plastic pollution and stay green behind the scenes.”
The three-day, two-stage festival will provide fun-in-the-sun to fans throughout the weekend with news that The Killers, Jack Johnson & The Chainsmokers will headline this year’s festival alongside Flo Rida, Ziggy Marley, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, 311 , Dropkick Murphys, All Time Low, Surfaces and more will perform across the weekend. Single-day and three-day passes are available at: www.sunfest.com/tickets.