December 18, 2014

Leading the Charge for a Sustainable Festival Future

During the first week of December, Klean Kanteen participated in two events: The International Music Festival Convention ( IMFCON) and the  International Film Festival Summit (IFFS). Our very own Field Marketing Manager, Melissa McClary, was there to represent the brand, and was asked to speak on the Sustainability Panel as a representative of Klean's capacity to be an agent for change in festival activations. Naturally, we couldn't be more proud of her! We asked Melissa to share what it was like to participate in these events, and here's what she had to say:

 

Over a period of three days earlier this month, I had the great pleasure of representing Klean Kanteen at IFFS and IMFCON in Austin, Texas. You might ask: What exactly is Klean Kanteen doing at a convention for people who plan music and film festivals? Well, we are leading the charge in changing the way these events think about sustainability, as well as aiding them in considering the impacts that they leave on the individuals, communities and landscapes where these events are held.

Anyone who has ever attended a music festival has seen the huge amount of plastic cup and bottle waste that's produced by attendees in just a few days. It's this huge amount of single-use waste that has started the conversation at Klean Kanteen about the need to create a solution for reducing waste at these events. What's more, it's what has brought around the birth of the iconic Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint. The pint itself has changed the face of sustainability at festivals, and it's due to this notable impact in the festival community that I was invited to speak. 

During the Sustainability Panel, we had lively conversation and great interaction with the audience who came to hear us talk. It was a true pleasure to learn more about how festivals and events are evolving their environmental policies. Of course, it was also amazing to hear some epic success stories and some serious setbacks these festivals and events have faced.

For me, festivals are amazing micro-communities where people are drawn together by a mutual love of culture, film, art, music or sport. In a time when we all spend so much time isolated from community in our day-today lives (sitting behind computers, driving alone in cars to and from work, watching tv and communicating most through online platforms), when we gather together around an event, an amazing thing happens: we CONNECT, we CELEBRATE! It’s this connection the creates conversation, creates new ideas and creates the momentum for change. It’s so exciting to be a part of the change toward sustainable celebration in these festival communities. Check our Events Calendar to see where we’ll be in 2015, and where you can join us. We hope to see you at any one of them! Until then, happy sustainable celebrations to you all this holiday season.