B.C.’s first sustainable music festival

Winter is awesome—especially this winter—but when it comes to music events, summer is where it’s at.

While it’s a little early to be announcing summer music festivals, there’s a newcomer that deserves early mention because of how unique it is. Plus, due to the limited ticket numbers, you’ll want to grab yours soon.

The event is Towards Eden, a festival dedicated not only to great music but also to green and sustainable living. It’ll take place July 22 to 24 at the Sandy Points Campground in Boston Bar, approximately three hours from Vancouver and Kamloops. It looks to be the first of its kind in Canada, using solar and wind power to provide energy to the event and an on-site produce garden to boot!

Early Bird tickets for Towards Eden have already sold out. The festival will be available to approximately 1,000 guests interested in learning more about being environmentally sustainable while participating in an event that actually walks the walk.

Danielle Snow, Towards Eden’s PR/media co-ordinator, says there will be solar panels, wind turbines and low-emission batteries used to power the event. They’re also looking at using local fresh water and the festival will feature a marketplace with environmentally minded vendors.

“The overall goal is to leave the lowest carbon footprint,” confirms Snow. “The market will be a huge part of it. Priority will go to those who give the most green, sustainable pitch to us.”

Entertainment is also a large part of the event. Confirmed artists include Gaudi, Adham Shaikh, Ras Nikhilesh and Robin Layne, artists with folk undertones though ranging in style from electronic to acoustic performances.

Ash Bigdeli, one of the event’s directors and founders, says their focus is on multicultural live bands that can inspire a busy dance floor, as well as talented DJs that do live instrumentation.

“The focus will also be on providing a set that can keep everyone moving in a low-energy consumption way,” says Bigdeli. “Since we’ll be powering the stages from the batteries after the sun goes down, all acts will finish at 2 a.m.”

The festival will also feature workshops that teach practical sustainability and green initiatives.

There’ll be showers on-site, powered by solar energy and heated using a woodstove kitchen.

As for the garden, the crew will head down in May to plant produce, ready for consumption at the festival.

It’s a big feat to undertake but with many details already confirmed it seems this festival is on the right track. If it goes off successfully, it could be a point in the right direction for other festivals around the country.

As Snow says you need to put your money where your mouth is when promoting your event as “green”.

“We need to educate the people who come to the festival and align ourselves with companies that believe in this movement,” she says. “It’s a whole movement to change the music scene.”

For more information, visit www.towardseden.com.