Going Green Music Festivals ask participants to respect the environment of the site.
Going Green Festivals reflect the growing commitment of festival lovers to create zero-waste events by, among other things, using biodegradable food service items and making it easy for festival attendees to recycle or compost waste products. Organizations like Global Exchange and Green America have established annual Green Festivals in cities like San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago where they require vendors to follow established green practices. Individual promoters in various states also put on green festivals that endeavor to leave the festival site at least as clean as they found it.
Wilton Go-Green Festival: Wilton, Connecticut
The Wilton Go Green Festival a community-wide, daylong event in mid-May that offers lectures, seminars and various speakers in various locations around town, including the Wilton Library. Also offered are bike rides for different ability levels, a Norwalk River walk and an Arbor Day Presentation that includes Tree Steward Award presentations in the Library. Though it is relatively new (it started in 2010), the festival boasts 80 exhibitors, 20 workshops and more than 1,000 attendees.
Indiana State Museum Going Green Festival: Indianapolis, Illinois
This annual mid-March Going Green Festival is sponsored by the Indiana Museum. Especially geared for school children, the two-day festival includes exhibits, experiments and activities such as Recycled Art, Save it and Frame it, Garbage Garden, World of Worms and Paper Bead Bracelets.
Collingswood Green Festival: Collingswood, New Jersey
Collingswood's one-day annual Green Festival is celebrated in mid-April along Irvin Avenue from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. While there are vendors, music and good food, the emphasis is truly on greening. Learn about Collingswood's Biker Share, drop off hazardous waste products from your home or garage or sign up for their rain barrel and compost bin programs.
Chicago Green Festival: Chicago, Illinois
The Chicago Green Festival is celebrated each May at McCormick Place Lakeside. It's a well-organized and large event that includes workshops, activities for children, beer and wine, delicious organic food, films, presentations by authors and thinkers and live music and dance.
Blue Ridge Barbecue and Music Festival: Tryon, North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Barbeque and Music Festival boasts that between the 2006 and 2010 events, they achieved an 80 percent reduction in waste -- quite an achievement. The Festival is held each year at Harmon Field in Tryon, North Carolina. Enjoy sampling some excellent barbeque, listening to good music, and attending the annual North Carolina State Barbecue Championship.
High Sierra Music Festival: Quincy, California
The High Sierra Music Festival was started in 1991 and takes place every July 4th weekend in Quincy, California. The Festival features big name and regional bands, good food, vendors, parades and children's activities and play areas. Greening activities include cell phone recycling, onsite recycling, prizes for the greenest campsites and a composting program for food waste.
Lollapalooza: Chicago, Illinois
The famed Lollapalooza started in 1991 and since 2005 has held its annual festival in Chicago at Grant Park. The three-day festival not only offers an amazing lineup of bands, its kid-friendly "Kidzapalooza" offers activities and music every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. "Lolla" claims to be one of the most environmentally friendly music festivals in the world.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival: Manchester, Tennessee
The Bonnaroo Festival is a four-day event that takes place in mid-June on multiple stages and tents erected around an extensive site. In addition to internationally famous bands, attractions include a comedy theatre, cinema, water slide, on-tap lounge and yoga classes.
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