Radiohead, i love thee

I've recently signed up to w.a.s.t.e. even though i've greatly enjoyed the works of Radiohead for some years, and it was mainly because my boyfriend sent me a link to this blog entry on their site and I decided to official register my support... I apologise for the length of the entry and also for my recent lack of posting. Essays, work, recording of Beekeeper and... I suppose a bit of Silent Hill 4 have all been conspiring against me getting anything else done.

"Where to play? Where to play? The Best Foot Forward report identified fan travel as the single biggest contributor to our carbon footprint. Public transport moves further up the list of importance, but venue availability, power, space, truck parking etc etc are still priority. A nice clean, sterile arena would have been sufficient, but having more adverts than character is not appealing to any of us. So the needs of the product override the ideals of the project and thus this plan came together.

As varied as they all are, venues around the world present a specific set of hurdles when it comes to eco policies. There are so many layers of contractors who deal with all the areas (i.e. consumables like paper plates having been pre-bought for the whole year) and they have no obvious reason to help us. We are, however, benefiting greatly from the network of communication that exists between Live Nation. What? The big multi national helping out the common man? It's true. With their national venue network and buying power, they have been able to dive head first into some of our incentives. Senior management have been overtly supportive.

Our efforts started in December with the appointment of Katie, our tour Eco Coordinator. Despite national ownership, the beer, food and operations are, more often than not, contracted out to regional companies. With a whole range of different policies, sorting all this out is a full time job (Katie also manages our IT as well, so we keep her really busy!)

Our next move was to enlist some expert help in drawing up a hit list of practicable measures to action at the venues. Our top ten included....

· Give car poolers preferential parking and promote this option through communications with concert goers

· Use low energy light bulbs in all areas

· Purchase green power or power from renewable sources from electricity provider· Use reusable cups rather than disposable ones

· Use recycled paper for all office stationery, tickets, posters, flyers and napkins

· Use compostable recycled paper crockery and wooden cutlery not plastic· Install recycling points for all cans and bottles

The current arrangements at each venue were checked against our ten points, which then produced a short list of things to concentrate on. A plan was made to research solutions to the issues; it's no good requesting something without having some idea of how to achieve it. This part of the big green push relies solely on the venues actions, and for the most part, our suggestions have been met with great enthusiasm. Car pooling has been North America wide, some of the additional recycling plans have been venue specific. Having determined the level of existing eco action, our plan is to encourage improvement. A 1950's amphitheatre is going to be starting from a worst position than a modern one, but their efforts are just as valid.

Car Pooling and composting have shown particular promise, with an average 12% reduction on the total number of cars used, and an average of over 1000 spots taken each night on the car pooling lot. Preferential parking locations were offered, although a better incentive would be for Live Nation not to include the parking charge in the ticket price, so car poolers would actually save money!

Compostable food waste from the venue backstage kitchens has been collected and used by venue grounds keepers and local gardening clubs. Live Nation have independently started to supply compostable beer cups for all their venues. The provision of organic locally grown food for the audience was one area that we had no influence over.Consumer demand prevails and we are told the consumer demands mass produced burgers and chemically enhanced beer - maybe time for a little customer feedback?The ultimate goal is to introduce schemes that, once proven effective, will be perpetuated by the venues and demanded by other acts.You can read our full venue reports at www.radiohead.com/tourdates/"

My w.a.s.t.e. url is: http://www.waste-central.com/profile/kaleidoscopicdancesofdeath