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Concerts, sporting events, plays, exhibitions -- wherever big crowds gather tends to be the source of a lot of carbon emissions, rubbish and general wear and tear on the local area. But a new set of guidelines should help organisers minimise the impact of large events, although it's unclear if stopping Madonna from flying to Live Earth in a private jet will be within its remit.
The British Standards Institute, who have created 27,000 standards on everything from bike helmets to accounting, have written the BS 8901 standard to help organisers lower energy use, protect sites of special interest and generally stop large concerts and other events from having a huge impact on the environment.
The standard can also apply to smaller events such as school nativity plays, suggests the BSI, but the impact of larger events is where the really big carbon emissions savings can be made. "Increasingly, customers are demanding sustainable products and services. This standard provides a simple framework which can be used to address concerns such as reducing carbon emissions and improving resource efficiency," says Mike Low, director of BSI.
The guidelines have been trialled by several venues before being finalised, including Lord's Cricket Ground, who found that the changes they made saved money as well as emissions, which companies will obviously love. "The standard brings the potential for cost savings, both in reducing landfill tax and on bills," says Russell Seymour, Projects Officer at Lord's.
Other trials found that the local community also benefited more from events, says Emma Wellman, who works at Earl's Court & Olympia, where another pilot trial took place. "Some of our activity is more community based than before, such as the distribution of 380 chairs left over from an event to local housing projects and community centres."
This is good news, because it gives some clear guidelines under which we can name and shame harmful events. If this standard had been in place before Live Earth we could have gauged its impact more accurately, simply by checking whether or not it was BS 8901 certified. Now the same can be done with football matches, concerts, plays or any event.
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