Venue Environmental Initiatives
Parklands is committed to maximising the ecological values and functions of our beautiful site. We do this by creating habitat connectivity, removing weeds and increasing native vegetation and tree cover. In addition to the Habitat Restoration Program (below) Parklands has created a number of artificial tree hollows (nest boxes).
Parklands conduct a comprehensive fauna monitoring program, consisting of three ecologists who scientifically monitor the comings and goings of any bats, birds or small mammals on the site for statistical assessment. This monitoring takes place one month before, during and one month after each event and helps determine any impact the festivals might be having on the surrounding environment. More than 200 days of on ground assessment has occurred to date. This venue is one of the most closely studied plots of land in the Byron Shire, if not the Northern Rivers.
Thanks to Byron Shire Council's commitment to sustainable technologies, council granted Parklands an approval for 246 composting toilets in 2013. Parklands worked with the Australian company Quicksmart Homes who designed and commissioned the 246 bespoke composting toilets and 192 low-flow gas-fired shower stalls. Parklands now has an incredible 246 waterless units, which significantly add to patron comfort and amenity.
Being 100% re-locatable this design allows a huge amount of flexibility in terms of providing unique camping and event lay-outs for events held at Parklands. It also supports Parkland's environmental philosophy to manage water cycles (water and waste water) sustainably.
This initiative provides a number of key environmental benefits including a significant reduction in waste-water truck movements and a dramatic reduction in waste being sent to the Byron Shire Council owned sewerage treatment plant (STP). Complementing this initiative Byron Shire Council provided an approval to augment our existing grey water treatment facility (which processes shower water). This facility can now treat up to 920,000 litres of grey water on site, further reducing the amount of waste water directed to Byron Shire Council's STP.
Event Environmental Initiatives
Splendour Initiatives
Parklands is essential to Splendour's magic. The event has placed strong emphasis on environmental responsibility, endeavouring to lead the way in sustainable business practices and education programs.
Splendour's Waste Management Plan guides its sustainability initiatives, which is implemented in partnership with staff, stakeholders, suppliers, venue and audience. The plan's objective is to divert as much waste away from landfill as possible and to reduce single-use plastics down to zero.
Splendour also focuses on responsible procurement. It prioritises local food and service suppliers, reducing transport-related emissions. The event prioritises suppliers of products that are recyclable, recycled, compostable or reusable. Their food vendor agreements stipulate that plates, containers, cups and cutlery are certified compostable.
As well as stringent internal processes for Environmental Best Practice, Splendour has a wide range of front-of-house environmental programs so festival patrons can revel in the good times whilst tipping their hat to our local and global environment.
In 2019, Splendour in the Grass shifted from the Carbon Offset Ticket to the Green Offset - a new program that will deliver environmental initiatives within the northern NSW region. The event teamed up with local renewable energy organisations Enova Energy and COREM to help fund their innovative climate initiatives.
This year, huge strides were made to reduce reliance on bottled water, thus eliminating a huge amount of potential waste. Patrons were encouraged to BYO (Bring Your Own) water bottles to replenish at the free water refill stations around the venue. The event also introduced the reusable cup system Globelet, a cup rental deposit system designed to eliminate single-use cups and bottled water from Splendour.
Splendour also believes in personal accountability too so the message to patrons is as follows: Please leave no camping gear behind when Splendour is over (clothes, tents, gumboots, esky, gazebo's, mattresses). The event bought in local organisations Momentum Collective, Social Futures and Mullum Cares to accept non-damaged camping gear (e.g. tents, roll mats, sleeping bags, air mattresses) that were distributed to people in need after the event.
Moving forward, Splendour's environmental programs will continue to be front and centre; from lavishly dressed enviro under-grad students helping explain how best to recycle, Waste Warriors, tree planting program, waste, composting and recycling programs, to the committed Green Teamers putting recycling in its place and avoiding landfill.
For more information on Splendour's environmental initiatives please click here
Falls Byron Initiatives
From little things, big things grow. Thinking about the environment and ensuring Parklands natural beauty and its vital eco-systems are preserved is the forefront of the Byron Falls Music and Arts festival ethos. Each year Falls puts a lot of time, hours and attention into its recycling programs. Tree planting continues to be a key environmental initiative for Falls in Byron which complements Parkland's ongoing Habitat Restoration Program.
The Falls Byron event has a dedicated Green Team onsite who encourage people to get involved in green initiatives and keep the site clean. In the construction of Falls Byron there is plenty of up-cycling with elements of the event built from recycled materials around the site where possible. This includes colourful shade structures created from old tents left behind at previous festivals. Speaking of tents, any that are left behind are donated to the Scouts and other groups to reuse or resell.
About 28 cubic meters of fresh, untouched food per Falls event is donated to organisations like Second Bite and Liberation Larder to feed thousands of people in need around Australia.
For more information on Falls Festival's environmental initiatives please click here
Habitat Restoration
Parklands has developed a Habitat Restoration Program which is designed to increase native vegetation across the site, reduce fragmentation between existing forest blocks and improve fauna habitat. Parklands has a dedicated habitat restoration team that undertake tree planting on a weekly basis. Many of these operators have been with us for years and have a deep connection with the site. To date, our awesome bush regeneration team has planted thousands of local native trees and shrubs. The majority of these plantings are well established (with greater than 90% establishment rate) and many areas have gained site control with trees in excess of 5metres in height.
In addition to planting trees, Parklands also has a weed eradication program to remove local and exotic weeds. This work has been successfully conducted by our bush regeneration team as well as partnering with National Parks and Wildlife Services to manage lands adjoining the Billinudgel Nature Reserve.
