Global Citizen Expanding Sustainability Initiatives at 2023 Festival
Written by djfrosty on September 20, 2023
This Saturday (Sept. 23), the Global Citizen Festival will return to Central Park’s Great Lawn in New York City for a day of music and action. In keeping with Global Citizen’s campaign to push global leaders to take meaningful action to combat climate change (among other initiatives), the organization is making 2023 its most sustainable festival so far.
To that end, Global Citizen announced a partnership with Everland – an organization that works to deliver wildlife conservation for communities at scale – to cover the estimated carbon emissions of the event. Everland currently represents projects in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cambodia.
And there’s more beyond that. The festival’s stage will be made of recycled and repurposed material from past festivals, and the stage set-up will incorporate indigenous trees that will be planted in various NYC city parks following the event. The menu for performers and attendees will be all vegetarian and come with fully compostable packaging and utensils. (Excess food will be donated to local organizations.) Citi will hand out 30,000 reusable water bottles at the event, and Sure We Can, a nonprofit recycling center in Brooklyn, will accept a donation of cans from the fest.
“As an organization campaigning for climate action to end extreme poverty, sustainability is a core part of Global Citizen’s mission,” said Global Citizen CEO and co-founder Hugh Evans. “From a repurposed stage, to plastic-free concessions, to our partnership with Everland who will cover the estimated carbon emissions of the event by supporting community-centered forest conservation, we are doing everything we can to reduce the environmental impact of our festival, empower attendees to make sustainable decisions on the day of the festival and beyond, and show the industry it is possible to create a sustainable event for 60,000 people.”
The 2023 Global Citizen Festival is headlined by Anitta, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jung Kook of BTS and Red Hot Chili Peppers, with additional sets from Conan Gray, D-Nice, Sofia Carson and Stray Kids.