Environment Policy

LodeStar is fully committed to the protection of the environment, reduction of waste and pollution, and to developing its event business in a socially responsible and sustainable way. LodeStar will communicate this policy to all its members of staff, members of its associated contractors and affiliates. Monitoring of every activity and supply to record and improve year on year in reducing the impact on the environment.

1. Our year-round office-based operation (which includes office energy use, material use and staff transport related impacts).
2. The impact of the festival and events (travel / transport (contractors, stage equipment, amenities, festival visitors), waste, energy, water, printed matter).
3. Using local companies as much as possible to reduce transport and support the local economy as a healthy economy has the finances to spend on environmental projects.
4. We ask all contractors and clients for their environmental policies to ensure best practice.
5. Minimising waste with careful planning of supplies and product packaging that is recyclable whilst importantly considering the manufacturing processes and transport miles when sourcing of products and packaging.
6. All fluids from catering and toilet suppliers are not allowed to be put on the soil and must be contained and taken to local sewage works for processing.
7. We choose low water toilet systems and depending on event look to supply vacuum toilets that greatly reduce water usage, waste water and odour.
8. We strive to keep updated with new ways of protecting the environment, products and services from suppliers with new processes that reduce environmental impact.
9. Look at the transport and travelling pattern of visitors to the Fields of LodeStar and venues we use.
10. We market and provide ideas, knowledge and booking systems to highlight the impact of travel, event activity by ourselves but also the attendees and in passing on this information hope people respond both at the event and in their behavioural lifestyles post event.

Our Office Operational Policy

We endeavour to minimise the transport-related impacts of the festival by choosing, where practicable, to car share, use public transport or bicycles or attend meetings with partners, clients and work colleagues using teleconferencing and other communication technologies. We will minimise flights and, if they are unavoidable, off-set the associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions via reputable schemes.

We will not cause excessive CO2 emissions from our office use by ensuring that electricity and heating energy is used efficiently through our office practices, such as natural lighting and energy efficient light bulbs, switching equipment and lighting off when not in use and optimising the heating controls of our office and administration areas.

We will reduce our indirect environmental burden from our materials demand and subsequent waste disposed to landfill through:

1. 1. reducing the use of office products where feasible (eg through double-sided printing, use of e-resources rather than printing), and by
   2. re-using office materials and products where practical.

Where waste occurs it is our policy to recycle the materials used in our offices such as paper waste, print cartridges and plastic containers and look to include other office consumables in the future where facilities are available and practical.

We will minimise the environmental impact from the manufacturing and supply of products and equipment we purchase for our office use by researching and purchasing materials (paper, printing consumables, IT equipment) to select, where reasonable and where information is available, those items which appear to cause lower environmental burdens in their manufacture and supply.  

Our Policy for Event Operation

Logistics

The building of our stages and amenities will not disrupt and destroy natural habitats. Construction will be by local suppliers, minimising the need for long-distance haulage. 

We will encourage our catering suppliers to source foods locally and to favour produce that is in season.

Clothing

PPE clothing including Hi-vis, where possible we look to purchase clothing with natural fibres and not plastic derivative mix.

Waste

We encourage our contractors, performers, volunteers and visitors to reduce waste, and if it cannot be avoided, to recycle. We work Thalia a local recycling company with state of the art equipment capable of recycling a high percentage of material and so greatly reducing landfill.

Energy

Renewables, Hydrogen HVO, Solar, usage times, automation control for on site operation.such as photocells on tower lights and lighting equipment

Environmental awareness

Our volunteers will be trained to be sensitive to the local community and wild life, to minimise the impact of our festival visitors on the ecosystem (e.g. no littering, minimising noise and light pollution, no trampling of terrestrial habitats).

Future and keeping up to date:

1. comply with environmental legislation  and other requirements, such as
   1. approved codes of practice
   2. environmental compliance
2. Importance of environmental issues at the festival,
3. Constantly assessing the environmental impact of all historic, current and likely future operations
4. Continually seek to improve environmental performance
5. Water efficiently and whether measures to reduce waste and pollution are effective
6. Reduce pollution, emissions and waste
7. Leaks and spills, excessive noise, heat or vibration generated by the activities
8. Reduce the use of all raw materials, energy and supplies
9. How to use resources more efficiently
10. Raise awareness, encourage participation and train employees in environmental matters
11. Encourage suppliers and contractors to uphold similar environmental standards
12. Encourage customers to consider ways of helping the festival achieve environmental targets of sustainability.

Author:

Doug Durrant

Director