Info below is from 2019. Most is still relevant, but we will more recent information soon.

 

Breathing a Little Cleaner

 

At Breathe 2019 our Sustainability Team made an enormous effort to manage, measure and reduce our environmental impact. This was the first year we implemented an impact program. We feel this is a necessary step in the evolution of the festival as we continue to grow. This year won’t be perfect; we are slackers, volunteers, and only human (some of us). We will likely make mistakes as we get a feel for the steps that must be taken. We look forward to learning from the community, our successes, and from our missteps so that in the future we can stay balanced.

 

What to Expect

 

As you arrive at the festival you will be given recycling and composting guidelines as well as two bags per group you arrive with, one for trash and one for recycling. When these are full (share with your neighbors too!) please bring them to the sorting tent and grab a new bag.  The sorting tent will be located near the Front Gate in front of the chicken coop. In the evening, if there is food waste in your camp’s trash bag please bring it to the sorting tent, kitchen compost bin, or find the fanciest way to hang it out of reach of all the curious (hungry) nocturnal critters.

 

Get Involved

 

We are not claiming to be a Zero Waste festival (or any of those other fancy buzzwords), but we would like to leave as little trace as we can, and Stable Studios as clean as we found it.

 

In the end, we are volunteers who have taken it upon ourselves to tackle these issues. We are not experts on sustainability; we definitely don’t have all of the answers or always know the best practices. We are guided by personal interests, internet searches, and the help of like-minded groups and individuals.

 

So, if you are a like-minded individual, an interested breather, an expert on sustainability and environmental issues, or anyone else who would like to get involved with the sustainability efforts at Breathe consider:

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• Sign-up to be a Volunteer on-site as part of the sustainability efforts

• Apply to be on the Sustainability Committee which works throughout the year making sure Breathe is putting it's best foot forward across all spectrum's of sustainability

• Stopping by the sorting tent to hangout and get your hands dirty (there will be gloves)

• Attending the Sustainability at Breathe talk hosting during the festival

• Joining a line-sweep before you leave the property and conducting your own final check before leaving camp for goodBringing any lost items to the front gate Lost and Found (shoes, glasses, slackline gear, yoga mats, etc…)

 

Waste

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There is no waste in nature; waste is a concept we invented to categorize objects we no longer benefit from. It may never be possible to host a gathering like Breathe without generating a  certain amount of waste. However, we can all do our part to help reduce the items that may become waste at a festival. A lot of that work can be done while planning and packing for the festival.

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Here are some things to consider before packing up and heading out:

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• Stable Studios will be providing FREE WATER. Please DO NOT bring packs of individual plastic water bottles. Instead think about getting yourself (and your friends) a reusable water bottle. You can take them everywhere and bedazzle them with cool Breathe stickers. If you must buy bottled water, consider gallon jugs and refill them throughout the weekend.

• Aluminum cans are preferable to glass bottles (which can break and ruin a volunteers day), however glass is preferable to plastic.

• Bring reusable flatware and dishes and leave disposable plastic plates and flatware at home. The community kitchen will have a sink for washing dishes. If you must go disposable, think paper. There will also be compostable flatware by Living-Breathing Eco products.

• While you pack your food for the festival please leave unnecessary packaging at home. Repack your food into reusable containers so all of that excess packaging does not make it onto the property.

• Plan your meals. In past years, a lot of food was thrown away as people packed up. Remember, sharing is caring, there are a lot of hungry Breathers out there who would likely be very happy to take the food you can’t finish before going home.

• Think about bringing reusable lights (LED) instead of plastic one-snap glowsticks, which can’t be recycled or re-used.

• If something breaks, it can probably be fixed or repurposed. If you don’t want that [shirt, sunglasses, shoes, necklace] anymore, someone else might.

 

Recycling

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This year at Breathe we are stepping up our recycling game with the help of Spencer’s own Monster’s Trash and Recycling. Monster separates recycling into 4 categories:

 

• Glass, Plastics, Styrofoam: Beer bottles, Water Bottles, Plastics #1-#7

• Aluminum cans: Beer and soda cans

• Cardboard and paper (Dry): Cardboard boxes, beer boxes, flyers

• Scrap metals: Tin cans, ratchets, propane canisters (Empty!!), etc.

 

Food containers (yogurt, jelly, peanut butter. etc…) must be rinsed, and bottles and cans must be emptied of any liquids to be recyclable at Monster’s. We will be sorting the recyclables from landfill bound and compostable materials throughout the weekend at the sorting tent. You can help out by keeping your camp waste items and recyclable items separated and by throwing any cans, bottles, or other materials into the proper containers at the kitchen or sorting tent.

 

Composting

 

We are going to be composting at Breathe! Stable Studios has agreed to a help us build a composting ditch on the property this year. The main composting receptacles will be at the community kitchen and there will be signage to help out.

 

To compost:

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• Food waste such as banana peels (that chiquita banana sticker isn’t compostable!), egg shells, coffee grounds, etc.

• Non-plastic coated or bleached paper waste such as, paper towels, coffee filters, tea bags (remove the staple), waxed paper cups (any certified compostable paper products).

 

Or not to compost:

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• Meat or bones

• Dairy products (cheese, yogurt, sour cream)

• Paper with bleach, ink, or other chemical additives (white paper towels, glossy or shiny paper)

• Human or animal feces (???)

• Foils

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