2008 Ventura Hillsides Music Festival with Little Feat, Taj Mahal, Mason Jennings, Todd Hanningan, Rey Fresco in Arroyo Verde Park, Fall Turkey Roundup 10K, Adopt-A-Park Cleanup and other wilderness education and conservation projects

2007 Ventura Hillsides Music Festival, Photo by Amanda Peacock

GREEN MANAGEMENT

Ventura Hillsides Music Festival showcased sustainable
green production and management

The 2008 Ventura Hillsides Music Festival once again featured sustainable green production and management. This year's Music Festival was the Ventura land trust’s greenest festival ever.

It began with the generators that feed the powerful sound system. These workhorses were powered with bio-diesel fuel, a growingly popular alternative to gasoline made from vegetable oils.

Then there was the matter of human fuel. Much of the food offered by vendors came from sustainable suppliers. Two Trees Sponsor Chipotle served naturally-raised meats, and placed food on biodegradable plates and utensils.

Regarding water, the Festival committee once again adopted a "ban the bottle" policy in 2008. Concert-goers were encouraged to bring their own refillable bottles and were able to purchase reusable, high-quality water bottles and fill them for free at water coolers distributed throughout the venue. Water was donated by Wildflower Sponsor Pure Matilija Water Systems. Otherwise, biodegradable paper cups were available. Even the wine cups were made of corn-fiber, compostable cups.

If that isn’t enough, all Festival T-shirts, totes, and caps were made of organic cotton, and the artwork was printed with PVC-free inks. All posters were printed on high-post consumer recyclable paper.

Then there’s the tail-end through put: trash. Festival management worked with the City of Ventura’s environmental department to provide containers for recyclables. The haul off took advantage of the City's arrangement with Harrison Industries to ensure recyclables from the Music Festival were diverted from the waste stream.

As always, concert goers were encouraged to travel to the event on foot, bicycle, or skateboard. A bike corral was provided for secure storage.

"We really went for ramping up our green practices this year," says Lynn Bartosh, Festival Manager. "Our commitment to open space preservation and restoration is easily expanded in making sure our events and programs pay attention to sustainable techniques."