As Island Vibe Festival heads into its twelfth year, the event is edging ever-closer to their goals of being a shining example of sustainability and carbon-neutrality.
With over eighty acts performing across four stages over four days, it's easy to forget that Island Vibe is about more than just the music and fun in the sun. It's a pioneering force in staging multi-day festivals without being a burden on the environment.
Margaux Cappe is the Marketing Manager for Island Vibe and says her key focus in this role is to spread the word about the festival's commitment to preserving their Stradbroke Island homesite and their achievements in this regard so far.
“I want people to know what Island Vibe is about and I feel like there might have been some aspects of the festival that were overlooked and not promoted enough and I think they were very essential, such as all of our sustainability initiatives,” Margaux says.
“I know some people are not aware of all of the ways that we're trying to reduce our carbon emissions and some people don't even know that we'll have a stage that is powered by solar power, or how all of our waste is hand sorted right at the festival so that we make sure as much as possible is recycled.”
North Stradbroke Island, where the festival is held, is home to rare and endangered species of flora and fauna as well as several heritage-listed sites, and its traditional owners are the indigenous Quandamooka people.
From sleeping arrangements to food service and waste management, for Margaux and her dedicated team of organisers, of utmost importance is the preservation of the island's fragile ecosystem and the integrity of its long history. “First of all, we don't want to leave any trace behind us, so when we leave the site there is literally nothing left,” Margaux says.
Previous Island Vibe event
There is also nothing left on the island in terms of waste except for the compost, which goes to gardens on the island. “We're really trying to reduce our carbon emissions and... this year we've made so many improvements.
“For example, we're now getting all of our beer from the local island brewery called Red Bay Brewery, and the compost toilets used to come from Melbourne but they're now coming from Fernvale in the Brisbane Valley.”
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Punters themselves can reduce their own carbon footprint by carpooling or opting to join the group ride to get to Straddie, allowing them to cycle safely from either Brisbane or Dunwich while their luggage is forwarded ahead.
These small shifts and changes in the logistics of event management make up the broader strategy Island Vibe employs to promote significant change not just within its own organisation, but also in the hearts and minds of its audience.
Foreshadowing the recent change in Queensland laws that will ban single-use plastic bags in the state from next year, Island Vibe have already spearheaded their own plastic-free initiative where there will no plastic at all sold on-site.
That means bringing your own bottle and cups, folks. “This year we're also taking a big step towards having no single-use plastic on-site, whether it is front-of-house, backstage or any where at all,” Margaux says.
“So we won't be distributing plastic bottles to any of our artists or guests and none of our distributors will be selling bottled water in plastic, or [using] plastic bags. We will have water refill stations; there will not be water sold on-site but instead we'll be selling Island Vibe steel bottles that are reusable.”
