The International Green Deal Circular Festivals (GDCF) is a network of music festival organizers, innovation experts, and government representatives from all over Europe working together under one main goal - promoting the sustainable and circular transformation of festivals and events in Europe. The GDCF is facilitated by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, in the context of the National Circular Economy Programme.
Model & Monitor of the GDCF
As part of the GDCF, a Model has been developed, to make concrete what circularity and climate neutrality means for the sector. The Model for Circular & Climate Neutral Festivals provides definitions, ultimate goals, and feasible targets. Besides the Model, a Monitor has been developed, to help festivals to measure and assess their impact and progress to realize the targets of the Model. The Model and Monitor provide inspiration to event organizers, other sectors, cities, and regions, to shape their own step-by-step approach to becoming circular and climate-neutral. The GDCF aims to further develop, allowing for optimizations based on the experiences of festivals and based on new insights and developments. It is also the ambition of the GDCF to align various models and measuring tools, aiming for synergy and consistency in the various tools being offered, to help move festivals and other events forward in their sustainable transformation.
Next step to include biodiversity & ecosystem impact
The GDCF aims for a broad approach for circularity, which goes beyond reducing to zero the events material footprint, but also reducing to (net) zero the events carbon emissions and the events biodiversity / ecological footprint. This means that festivals are organized in such a way, that any negative impacts on biodiversity and the local ecosystems are reduced to zero. Ultimately even aiming to regenerate nature and its resources, by allowing nature to rebuild, biodiversity to increase and the natural environment to improve. Moving towards regenerative festivals requires to drastic rethinking of the norm of how festivals are organized.
Invitation for a master thesis research
At this time, biodiversity & ecosystem impact is not yet specified in the GDCF Model & Monitor. However, various studies have been done and various methods are available to measure biodiversity and ecosystem impacts. The intention of the GDCF, is to add these elements in an update of the GDCF Model and Monitor, to also provide perspective for festivals to reduce to zero their biodiversity footprint, and ultimately to become regenerative. The GDCF aims to host a master thesis research, to build a scientific basis that helps the European music festivals sector to make the next step in their green transformation. The formal placement would be with Green Events; a Netherlands-based and internationally operating organization and knowledge platform for building a sustainable and social events industry. Through the GDCF and Green Events you will have access to and work together with a wide range of festival organizations, governments (including the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and other European partners working on a sustainable European festival sector.
Apply now
It would last for the suggested duration of the master thesis internship and start as soon as possible. The intern would be only engaging in the research, which can be done on their own time and setting (no in-office work required, although access to the Green Events office (in Amsterdam) is possible, and no official hours of work required). GDCF supports the intern by providing them with dedicated mentors, allowing them access to all relevant GDCF data, and offering a network of enthusiastic contacts for interviews and data collection (i.a. festivals, cities, research institutes).
If interested, please send your motivation and CV or LinkedIn profile to info@greenevents.nl before February 14th 2024.