Ecolibrium balanced six million travel miles in 2021

Ecolibrium says it balanced the equivalent of six million miles of live event travel carbon emissions in 2021.

Founded in 2015 by UK festivals Boomtown, Secret Garden, Shambala, Bluedot and Kendal Calling, Ecolibrium is a charity focused on galvanising the music industry to address the negative impacts of travel.

Members are supported to measure and record carbon emission from travel, engage in initiatives to reduce travel impacts and donate to carbon-balance remaining emissions.

Last year’s balance was achieved through donations from over 35 members, including EMI Records, Universal Music UK, Wilderness Festival and All Points East.

The donations are channelled into Ecolibrium’s two climate solutions programmes: Trees+, to support ecosystem regeneration and protection, and Energy Revolution, which invests in community-owned renewable energy generation.

“In 2022 [Ecolibrium] will support our network to explore systems and technology to reduce emissions from travel”

Ben Robinson, Ecolibrium trustee and director of Bluedot and Kendal Calling, says: “This year has shown that the Ecolibrium community has a hugely positive impact and that by working together as an event and music industry collective all our actions are amplified. In 2022 we will support our network to explore systems and technology to reduce emissions from travel and widen the community to help more events and artists tackle their emissions.”

Highlights of Ecolibrium members’ support in 2021 include partnering with Universal Music UK to measure and carbon balance staff travel miles from its UK offices. Ticket agent TicketSellers, meanwhile, supported 13 of their festival clients to balance the equivalent of over 690,000 travel miles (190 tonnes of CO2e) by embedding Ecolibrium’s carbon calculator as part of their ticket check out.

Music Declares Emergency, in association with Bird on Wire and Adapt, collected carbon-tackling donations from tickets sales of their Climate Music Blowout event, and The Showman’s Show measured and balanced all delegate fossil fuel miles associated with their 2021 event.

Other festivals, events and companies that balanced their audience or staff miles include: All Points East, Balter Festival, Brainchild, Camp Kin, Elderflower Fields South, Emc3, Festival of Thrift, Gaia Nova, GT Bicycles, Malvern’s Classic, Illusive Festival, Into the Trees Festival, Just So Festival, Love, Saves the Day, Shambala, Threshold Sports, Timber Festival and Wilderness.

Since Ecolibrium launched, the charity has planted more than 40,000 trees, protected more than 15,000 acres of rainforest, launched 10 renewable energy projects and balanced more than 19,000,000 travel miles.

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