Cart 0
Music and Camping Festival

together, we are EARTH FRENDLY.

AliKaukas_3617.jpg
frendly  (1 of 1)-28.jpg

EARTH FRENDLY COMMITMENT

It's our commitment to not only be Frendly to ourselves, our communities, but to the world that we all share. This means taking an Earth-Frendly approach to the magic we create at the Frendly Gathering.

We Believe that by working together, and staying true to our Frendly Values, we can work to keep the Festival's impact as low as possible and continue to lessen our impact year after year. 

Our Greening Initiative is collaboration amongst the Frendly Crew, artists, vendors, attendees and The Mad River Valley Community. If we all work together, we can keep Sugarbush a Clean and beautiful environment for everyone to enjoy throughout the weekend!

 

2018 GOAL: At Frendly Gathering, our goal is to maximize our attendee involvement within sustainability. Through workshops, contests, sustainable merch and interactive art installations, we want our attendees to join us in living as Earth Frendly as possible.

WASTE DIVERSION

frendly  (1 of 1)-11.jpg

wAste diversion

  • We take great pride in our waste diversion, we separate through EVERY SINGLE bag to make sure all the recyclables are getting recycled, and all the compostables are getting composted. This takes extra time and dedication from our ROCKSTAR team of volunteers, but it is well worth it.
  • We diverted over 8,040 pounds of waste into composting, recycling and donation initiatives.
  • To help separate the waste before it gets to the sort station, we hand out different colored bags to EVERY attendee to makes sure that they are separating their waste properly. Blue is for Recycling, Clear is for Composting and Black is for Landfill.
  • We also have over 30 waste-free stations scattered throughout the event that have clear labeling and visuals to help educate our attendees.
  • We have found that by using different colors bags, education, awareness, and signage, our bags are much ‘cleaner’ than in years past.
  • All leftover tarps and tents from attendees get donated to the local Boy Scouts, we proudly donated a couple dozen in 2017.
  • We care SO MUCH about waste diversion that we load up a U-Haul full of compost and drive it to Green Mountain Composting to be composted. There is no waste hauler for composting at this time, so we took the liberty of being the waste haulers ourselves. If we didn’t take the time to do this, over 3,400 pounds would have ended up in the landfill and created Methane Gas which is 23 times MORE POTENT than Carbon Dioxide.

CARBON OFFSET

394A6292.JPG

CARBON OFF-SET

  • We planted 3,500 with Eden Projects in Madagascar through our  ‘1 Ticket Purchased = 1 Tree Planted, 2017 program.

  • Planting trees helps restore ecologically devastated mangrove estuaries in the northwest of the country.

  • Did you know, only 10% original forest remains in Madagascar? This made us unhappy, and we wanted to do something about. We are so happy to be apart of the regrowth of their forests and look forward to donating to them year after year.

  • Also, trees play a massive rule in sequestering carbon from our atmosphere. So by planting trees, we not only supported the local environment and economy within Madagascar, we also helped off-set our carbon footprint.

  • We are aware of the negative environmental aspects by throwing an event, and we want to do everything in our power to make positive change.

100% COMPOSTABLE

frendly  (1 of 1)-16.jpg

100% COMPOSTABLE

  • All vendors, catering, and bars are required to use 100% compostable flatware. If they can’t serve it in compostables, then they are not allowed to sell it. End of story. We check throughout the weekend to make sure that they stay true to this.

PLASTIC, PAPER AND FOIL FREE

AliKaukas_2190.jpg

PLASTIC, PAPER AND FOIL FREE

  • We are proud to say that we reduce or eliminate our plastic waste whenever possible. This means, no vendor is allowed to sell ANYTHING in a plastic container, no water, juices, or teas. They are also not allowed to sell anything wrapped in plastic like chips, baked goods, or sandwiches. This may sound harsh, but we care about our oceans and supporting a full circle system. The recycling of plastic is not a full circle system, so we want to avoid using it whenever possible.

  • Just like with plastic, we try to aim to be aluminum foil free. We love using aluminum cans because they are infinitely recyclable and promote a full circle system, however aluminum foil does not. You won’t find any hamburgers or hot dogs wrapped in aluminum foil at Frendly Gathering!

FREE WATER

DSC01244-1.jpg

FREE WATER

  • We want to promote the use of reusables, so we have free filtered water stations scattered throughout the festival.

  • Bring a water bottle!

LEAVE NO TRACE

FrendlyFriday_Cirilli_Selects-6.jpg

THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF LEAVE NO TRACE AT THE FRENDLY GATHERING

1. Plan Ahead And Prepare: 

  • By Taking The Time To Plan Ahead, You Can Minimize Your Waste And Pack Weight! Only Bring What You Absolutely NEED (Like A Reusable Water Bottle). This Will Allow You To Actually Enjoy The Festival Rather Than Be Responsible For All The Items You Brought, Plus The Shuttle Ride Is Much Easier When You Pack Light!

2. Travel And Camp On Durable Surfaces:

  • Durable Surfaces Include Established Trails And Campsites That The Frendly Crew Worked Hard For You To Enjoy! 

3. Dispose Of Waste Properly:

  • If You Pack It In, Pack It Out. Please Separate Your Recyclables And Compostable Items From The Trash And Bring Them To Your Nearest Waste Corral. 

4. Leave What You Find:

  • Leave Rocks, Plants, Trees And Other Natural Objects As You Find Them. When Leaving Frendly Gathering, Please Clean Up Your Campsite!

5. Minimize Campfire Impacts:

  • Fires Are Only Allowed In The Designated Campfire Locations, Do Not Start Your Own. If You Need To Cook Bring Your Own Lightweight Camp Stove. 

6. Respect Wildlife:

  • Respect  Wildlife By Observing Them From A Distance And Not Approaching Them Or Feeding Them. Please Do Not Leave Your Food Out. Store Food And Trash Properly And Securely. 

7. Be Considerate Of Other Visitors:

Respect Other Visitors And Protect The Quality Of Their Experience By Being A Frendly Neighbor.  

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BIN

frendly (1 of 1).jpg

HOW TO DISPOSE OF WASTE AT THE FESTIVAL

1. There Will Be Composting, Recycling And Trash Bins Located Throughout The Festival For Your Convenience.

2. Separate Your Compost And Recyclables From Your Trash At Your Campsite Before Placing The Bags In The Waste Corrals.  

  • Blue Is Recyclables

  • Clear Is Compost

    • ALL FOOD - Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Shellfish, Bones, Cheese, And Eggshells

    • ALL PAPER PRODUCTS - Newspaper, Magazines, Paper Bags, Paper Carryout Drink/Tray, Juice/Milk Cartoons, Cardboard, Paper Packaging.

    • OTHER COMPOSTABLE -Waxed Cardboard, Boxboard, Napkins, Paper Towels, Paper Plates, Tea Bags, Coffee Grounds/Filters Wooden Crates

  • Black Is Trash

3. Please Do Not Litter. 

4. If You Need More Bags For Your Camp, There Will Be Some At The Information Booth.

5. Not Sure What’s Compostable, Recyclable And Trash? Don’t Be Afraid To Ask A Green Volunteer!

6. If You Are Smoking At The Festival, Please Dispose Of Your Cigarette Butts Properly In The Cigarette Butt Bins Please!