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Scottish Event Campus commits to net zero by 2030

The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) has stated its ambition to achieve net zero by 2030 after making significant moves to reduce its carbon footprint in recent years.

The organisation’s strategy is based around five key goals: climate, governance, partnership, people and resource, as it develops an energy strategy to transition the venue to net zero, supporting Glasgow’s commitment to do the same across the city.

The 2030 target is in line with the commitment made by LIVE Green – the sustainability arm of UK live music umbrella trade body LIVE. All 13 association members of LIVE – including AIF, MVT, NAA and CPA – ratified a voluntary sector-specific commitment to deliver measurable and targeted action on climate change.

“More than ever we are focused on the impact our business has on the planet,” says SEC chief Peter Duthie. “As the proud host venue of COP26 we are fully committed to becoming net zero by 2030, and to taking a central role in supporting Glasgow’s ambitious targets.

“We recognise how significant a challenge this is, but we are determined to reach this goal. We have the vision and an excellent team, deep in planning mode, to get us there.”

Actions around water efficiency, green travel, supply chain engagement and waste management are also being implemented, while renewable sources already provide 100% of the SEC’s electricity.

The organisation launched a sustainable food strategy in partnership with Levy UK in the run up to COP26, with a commitment that all packaging used will be reusable or recyclable by 2023. The SEC is also a longtime contributor to Trees for Life, and hired a dedicated environment and waste manager in 2019 to fulfil the venue’s aim to be more sustainable.

The SEC is a founding partner of the NetZeroCarbon Events pledge

The SEC is a founding partner of the NetZeroCarbon Events pledge which is a collaboration of the world’s leading events industry players who have come together with the goal of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The SEC is also working towards A Greener Festival‘s (AGF) ‘Greener Arena Certification’.

The AGF certification will include external verification that carbon reduction and transition strategies are at the heart of all venue operations, from catering to materials used and circularity.

Last year, the OVO Hydro arena, which is located within the SEC campus, announced it will continue to develop its sustainability credentials. OVO is supporting the venue’s goal through funding of specific carbon-reduction and environmental initiatives recommended as a result of the annual accreditation process.

OVO Arena Wembley’s John Drury will be one of the speakers at the 14th edition of the Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London on Friday 29 April, presented by AGF in partnership with the International Live Music Conference (ILMC). For the first time, an ILMC delegate pass includes full access to this year’s GEI, which takes place during the main conference programme.

In November last year, it was announced that Oak View Group’s new east Manchester development Co-op Live will become the UK’s first all-electric arena when it opens in 2023.

 


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Coldplay detail ‘eco-friendly’ world tour

Coldplay have announced their first tour in four years, which will have an ‘eco-friendly’ focus.

The British band previously said that they would put touring plans on hold as they investigate how to make their concerts more sustainable.

Today, they announced their return to the road which will follow the band’s new album ‘Music of the Spheres’, out tomorrow (15 October).

The Music of the Spheres world tour will kick off in March 2022 in Costa Rica, which has one of the highest rates of renewable energy generation in the world.

Dates for the first seven countries have been announced today and include three at Wembley Stadium (cap. 90,000) in London, two at Stade de France (81,000) in Paris and two at Olympiastadion Berlin (74,000).

According to frontman Chris Martin revealed that the tour will partly be powered by a dancefloor that generates electricity when fans jump up and down, and pedal power at the venues.

“I literally really need you to jump up and down. Because if you don’t, then the lights go out.”

Martin told the BBC in his first interview about the plans that fans will be on “kinetic flooring”.

“When they move, they power the concert,” he said. “And we have bicycles too that do the same thing.”

“The more people move, the more they’re helping. You know when the frontman says, ‘We need you to jump up and down’?

“When I say that, I literally really need you to jump up and down. Because if you don’t, then the lights go out.”

The kinetic flooring is part of a 12-point plan to cut the band’s carbon footprint.

The concerts will use electricity from batteries fuelled by fan power as well as solar energy, recycled cooking oil from local restaurants and mains power from 100% renewable sources where available. For every ticket sold, the band will plant a tree.

“The whole show is powered from renewable energy, which is amazing”

The singer admitted they had not figured out how to cut the environmental impact of some parts of touring but their goal for a few years’ time is to have “slightly shifted the status quo of how a tour works”.

“In some areas, there’s still not enough possible, like how do you get people to a venue without consuming any power? That’s still really hard,” he said.

“Or flying – there’s still a lot of offsetting we have to do, because even sustainable aviation fuel isn’t good enough yet.

“So we know where we still have a long way to go. But in terms of the show itself, the whole show is powered from renewable energy, which is amazing.”

Ahead of the tour, Coldplay will open Oak View Group’s (OVG) Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle – the world’s first carbon-neutral certified arena – on 22 October.

Coldplay’s last tour, A Head Full of Dreams, saw them perform to 5.4 million people across 122 shows in five continents.

 


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