Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Green Fern Events- "Helping SXSW 2010 Interactive Reduce Environmental Impact"

Plutopia 2010 "The Science of Music" was held March 15, 2010 at the Mexican American Cultural Center. This year's theme "explored the role of technology, sound and digital media in changing the landscape and narrative of music in the information age". Approximately 1000 people throughout the evening enjoyed a variety of music, art, and interactive technology, with featured performances by DJ Spooky, Bruce Sterling, Xiao He, Black Pick Liberation, Front White, & Dr. Stragevibe.

While there were many GLOBAL performances at this event, the food and beverages served were all LOCAL! "Unique to this and only this event, Edible Austin magazine and Tipsy Texan brought together the heart and soul of Austin’s local foodie scene and cutting edge mixology. Guests enjoyed artisanal cocktails and food and drink samples from handcrafters such as Tito’s and Dripping Springs Vodka, Treaty Oaks Rum, Pepe’s Z and Republic Tequila, Independence and St. Arnold Breweries, Zhi Tea, Rio’s Brazilian, Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop, Aurelia’s Chorizo, Buddha’s Brew Kombucha and more! Also on hand were food carts from addictive local eateries Dai Due, Eastside Pies, Kerbey Lane CafĂ©, Thai Fresh, and Torchy’s Tacos."

Green Fern Events sponsored the recycling for this event and hired local company, Wandering River Recycling to manage this large task. Below are the results.

Drum roll please..........

-Total of 400 lbs of waste
-200 lbs of recycling
-80 pounds of food waste to local composting facility =

70% diversion rate from landfill.

That's pretty excellent. This means well over HALF of all the waste for Plutopia was either recycled or composted.

When planning your events for 2010 and beyond, please keep Green Fern Events in mind. We can work with any budget to help reduce costs and the environmental impact for your event. Furthermore, Green Fern Events can connect you with the best eco-vendors and venues in Central Texas that practice sustainability.

Emily Kahn is Founder of Green Fern Events - Austin's Premier Eco-Event Planning & Consulting Firm.