Toe-tapping (not enviro-stomping) festivals

Summertime in Canada, while fleeting and far from tropical, brings out a nation-wide phonic phenomenon known as the music festival. It’s as though Canadians, having spent the last 6 – 10 months separated from people and nature due to perpetually inclement weather, feel an instinct to connect over music with thousands of other people in a field or park.

It’s nice. We like it. An opportunity to dance and burn in that bit of sunshine we’ve missed for so long. This is music and food and shopping and people and green space.

And then, there’s the energy needed to make it all happen.

Consider the environmental impact of powering all the outdoor stages and electric guitars, of the transportation needed for the thousands to attend each festival, or even of the electricity needed to chill beverages in the beer garden. It takes a lot of energy for us to dig the groovy tunes, so it’s no surprise that people have started to take notice of the footprint these outdoor behemoth events are causing.

It may have been the hippies leading the charge, but it’s not just the landscape-dotting folk fests that are making a bid to reduce environmental impact, including energy use. Other festivals, such as Virgin Fest, are greening up their act by incorporating recycling and renewable energy into the mix of mini-donuts and temporary tattoos.

Given Richard Branson’s appreciation for all things green, it seemed like a natural step for the Virgin founder to encourage other corporations to step up and help enviro-fy his music festival. TD Canada Trust, for example, not only sponsored a music stage at the Canadian Virgin Festivals, but also a booth with solar-powered laptops, phone and mp3 player chargers. The bank also brought onsite a working backyard biodiesel demonstration as an illustration of one of the many enviro-friendly programs it sponsors through the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.

Major outdoor music festivals may be a major user of energy, but savvy event organizers can hear the sound of the trend to reduce impact where possible. Whether it be encouraging carpooling and alternative transportation, renewable energy sources or developing solar-powered musical instruments, every little bit makes a difference—especially since Canadians likely won’t be giving up the summer music festival anytime soon.