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Environmental Awareness
The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival is making significant strides in terms of reducing its carbon footprint, and will continue several successful “green” policies and programs aimed at reducing the amount of waste generated.
Specially marked containers will be available for attendees to recycle cans and bottles, an endeavor that many of our sponsors support and encourage.
"Last year we recycled over 70% percent of the bottles and cans left behind at the festival,” said Jay Downie, CFEE, producer of the festival. “ Our goal, obviously, is 100% and we feel this year we are on track to make this a reality. This is a long time coming, and supplements current recycling programs already underway behind the scenes.”
Another environmentally friendly project that returns to this year’s festival is a bicycle corral that will be free of charge to those who choose to ride their bicycles to the festival. The corral is sponsored by the Fort Worth Bicycling Association and Bicycles, Inc., and is designed to get patrons thinking about alternative transportation methods and utilizing Fort Worth’s network of bike trails. The corral will be operated from 10 am to 8 pm daily during the festival by Bicycles Inc. at the parking lot on 4th Street east of the Houston Street intersection and will be fenced in and staffed by cycling enthusiasts. There will be bike racks for storage and an ID system to avoid theft.
Also included in the greening of the festival is the use of biodegradable eating utensils and PLA-manufactured, biodegradable cups. The utensils are made of yearly renewable raw materials like certified GMO-free corn and are durable and reusable. The PLA cups are made from a polymer which is used to make everything from packaging to fibers for furnishings, and is derived from renewable resources instead of oil. The polymer is more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum-based plastics and is the world’s first greenhouse gas-neutral plastic. “To further lessen our use of public landfills, we will be utilizing biodegradable plates, cups and eating utensils,” says Downie. “The costs are not much higher than paper products; however, the benefits definitely outweigh the additional expense when you think of the abbreviated lifecycle of these items in our landfills, breaking down completely in as little as 45 days.”
Festival staff will also recycle all oil and grease used to prepare the food. Glen’s Grease Service has been serving this function at the festival for four years. The company takes 100 percent of the fat, cooking oils and grease used to cook the fried food at the festival and renders it for other uses. Downie says he hopes these initiatives will help raise awareness of environmental issues and conservation as well as set an example for other events and businesses in the area.
“It’s important that we, as the hosts of one of the largest arts festival in Texas, do our part to protect our environment,” said Downie. “These measures provide opportunities to be as socially responsible as we can be while providing the cultural experience of combining art and entertainment to more than 400,000 people.”
The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival showcases a juried art fair, savory food, live concerts, performance artists and street performers!
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