2econd World

Rocking the Daisies played hard, yet treaded lightly

SA’s largest carbon neutral music festival to plant 180 trees and feature bands at Cape Town’s Natural & Organic Products Exhibition

(Cape Town) 15 October, 2007 – “Darling, do it again.” That was the general sentiment from attendees of South Africa’s largest carbon neutral music festival.

Enjoyed by more than 5,000 festival goers at the Cloof Wine Estate near Darling from 28-30 September, Rocking the Daisies succeeded in promoting South African musical and comedy talent and acted as an educational platform for eco-friendly products and practices.

Using an online tool provided by Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA) - www.trees.co.za - the event’s output of atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide was determined. This calculation translated into 130 trees required to offset the event’s carbon footprint, however, as strong supporters of FTFA, the organisers decided to plant 180 trees including:
• five trees on the Cloof Wine Estate; and
• 175 trees in various disadvantaged communities within the Western Cape.

“Rocking the Daisies 2007 more than tripled its attendance over last year’s inaugural event and we see the ‘go green’ aspect of the festival expanding even further in the years to come,” said Craig Bright, Managing Director of Complete Events.

Says Jeunesse Park, CEO of Food and Trees for Africa and recent joint winner of the 2007 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sasakawa Prize: “Beyond the environmentally friendly ethos of the festival, attendees of Rocking the Daisies have effectively contributed to improving the quality of life for various disadvantaged communities. Congratulations to the festival organisers for raising awareness around the issue of global warming and the importance of giving back to the community at large.”

How Rocking the Daisies tread lighter:
• ‘Rubbish’ generated at the event was either recycled (55%) or composted, which amounted to a total of 9 ton and 87.4 kg waste. The breakdown of waste collected:
o 4.5 t of glass recycled
o 97.8 kg plastic bottles
o 83.6 kg plastic packaging
o 110 kg paper and cardboard
o 4 t and 296kg in total of recyclables were prevented from landfill
• Of the approximate 5 000, 624 virtual tickets (SMS text messages with a unique bar-code) were issued, 2 246 traditional tickets, using tree-free hemp paper were sold, and the rest were made up of tickets sold at the festival gates. The tree-free hemp tickets were produced without the use of sulfide and chlorine bleaching.
• 320 Rocking the Daisies hemp t-shirts and 185 hemp caps where sold. Compared to conventional cotton the following was saved:
o 351000 liters of water
o Approx. 61750kJ of energy
o 260 square metres of land
o 350 g of toxic pesticides
o 4 kg of fertilizer
(Source: http://www.ecoaudits.com/calculators/HTnaturals)
• 80% less carbon emissions were produced during the festival by running 100% bio diesel in the generators. A large portion of this bio diesel was produced from waste vegetable oil from restaurants represented at the festival (Noodlebosch and Rafiki’s) thus creating a sustainable energy solution.
• Nine liters of 100% bio-degradable soap and shampoo, courtesy of Hemporium, were provided free to all overnight campers, eliminating any grey water and any harmful effects on the environment.
• The venue, Cloof Wine Estate, is recognized as a leader in conserving natural vegetation and rehabilitating previously cultivated areas.

“Overall, we feel that the festival’s biggest achievement is the awareness created through all of these initiatives combined, and the resulting long term effects of this heightened awareness,” says Brian Little, Event Manager of Rocking the Daisies and partner of Complete Events.

In keeping with the green theme, Rocking the Daisies also hosted a concert on Saturday, 13 October, for visitors to the Natural and Organic Products Exhibition, which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The show featured a sample of bands from the festival including Nungarin, Dream Soda, Bed on Bricks, South Paw, Boulevard Blues and jacSharp.

About Rocking the Daisies
Now in its second, it is organised by Complete Events, a full-service events and promotions company with offices in Durban and Cape Town.
For more information, visit www.rockingthedaisies.com and www.complete.org.za.

ISSUED BY: MANGO-OMC
ON BEHALF OF: Complete Events
FOR FURTHER INFO: Janine Boshoff/ Catherine Lückhoff
Janine@mango-omc.com / Cath@mango-omc.com

Abundance Recycling is a social responsibility undertaking by Abundance Yoga Centre run by Gary and Cynthia Fort. Their aim is to educate people on the need to recycle and to offer an easy, inexpensive opportunity to do so. They rely on sponsorships from businesses as part of their social responsibility. They have managed to secure trailer sponsorship from Dayway Trailer Hire, banners from Budget Banners, computers from local business and members of the public, and maps and logistical support from the council. They have had a tremendous response from the public and very positive support from local business. They are confident that we will have Cape Town recycling with no extra drain on an already overburdened civic refuse collection system.

Abundance Yoga and Recycling Centre has started a recycling initiative in your area to encourage people to recycle. For only R20, R30 or R40 a month (depending on distance from the recycling depot) they will collect all your recycling once a week on a specified day (depending on the area). All that you need to do is place you recycling in a bag, that we will provide, and we will do the rest.

The recycling will go to Oasis Recycling depot where people with intellectual disabilities are given an opportunity to work and gain a sense of self worth: many of the 365 adults currently working there are primary breadwinners. The project currently recovers 140tons of waste per month, which is a substantial saving of landfill space. A percentage of the money will go to the Yoga Accessibility fund which has enabled Gary and Cynthia to send Busiswa Qobo (a Xhosa lady from an underprivileged background) to India to study yoga. The fund now enables Busiswa to teach yoga for free in underprivileged areas such a Khayelitsha, helping people to find the balance to gain strength, vitality and a respect for self and others.

For further information please go to Webiste: http://home.telkomsa.net/abundanceyogaEmail: Gary Fort abundance@telkomsa.net

Footprints is a non-profit, community-orientated centre in Wynberg Cape Town, focusing on the conservation and sustainable use of resources and the prevention of pollution and waste of these resources. Footprints is a “live-action” “hands-on” centre working towards providing accessible tangible knowledge and opportunities for individuals and communities to take responsible doable action to reduce their ecological footprints. Footprints provides the motivation, tools and opportunities for individuals to take action in a manner that is both beneficial to people and planet.
Footprints Drop Off Centre for Recyclables accepts a large range of materials for recycling e.g. paper, plastic, cans, glass, eWaste, dirty motor oil, cooking oil, etc. Please email for a list of materials that Footprints can accept. “One Persons Trash is another Persons Treasure” Footprints, sees (certain) “trash” as a “treasure”, a resource that we can use to generate an income, thereby create opportunities for employment and empowerment as well as sustain the centre.

Footprints is a hands on, outcomes based and live action working centre that highlights and showcases issues around sustainable living. Footprints offers a convenient drop off service to the public, in a friendly, helpful and welcoming environment. Our mission is to encourage public support, participation and action. Our believe is an informed citizen may with knowledge and understanding, be motivated to act in waste reduction and sustainable living practices.

For further information Email: Michelle Shalto-Douglas gsdouglas@worldonline.co.za