This weekend is Rocking the Daisies time, and the event promises 26 great acts that include Eagle Eye Cherry and 22 DJs over 3 days. Oh and there’s also a Comedy Revolution set to entertain between acts, and a Conscious Cinema – screened films and doccies covering green issues (the cinema & the Hemporium stand are powered by wind and solar power).

It’s also South Africa’s first carbon-neutral music festival (since 2007) with a ‘raft of green initiatives’ to make sure that revellers leave as little impact on the environment as possible.

The festival’s motto is ‘play hard, tread lightly’ and the coolest green initiative is the discount you will receive if you’re prepared to cycle there – you can join the social cycle tour or get there on your own steam, and pay only half price for your ticket! Now there’s an incentive to get on your bike…

The festival is powered by bio-diesel produced from the vegetable oil used by participating restaurants, cutting carbon emissions by 80%, and their other green initiatives include:

• All Rocking the Daisies merchandise, tickets and festival magazine will be produced using hemp fabric, hemp paper and triple green fully recyclable paper.
• 100% biodegradable soaps and shampoos will be available in the shower facilities.
• The restaurants at the festival will also use 100% biodegradable soaps and detergents. Replacing plastic and polystyrene containers, all food will be served in biodegradable packaging made from bagasse (a by-product produced as part of the existing sugar cane industry). Furthermore, biodegradable utensils and bags made from a variety of plant based starches will be given to festival goers together with their meals.
• All waste will be recycled or composted by Interwaste – last year 7.9 tons of trash was collected at the festival and over 4 tons kept out of landfills.
• Visitors are encouraged to car pool and will be charged an additional R20 if they have less than three people in their car. This money will be used to offset the festival’s carbon footprint and to rehabilitate the area.
• As part of their flight sponsorship for the Rocking the Daisies Red Bull RADAR competition – in partnership with Speakerbox – kulula air will contribute R1000 to Project Green (a partnership with Food and Trees for Africa) to ensure that the Battle of the Bands winners’ flight to Cape Town to record a demo album is carbon neutral.
• Last year R15,000 was used to plant five trees at the venue, and another 175 trees in the Western Cape. According to Food and Trees for Africa’s assessment, only 130 trees were required – the extra 50 were added for the positive environmental effect. This year the tree-planting initiative will be repeated. Trees will be planted at the new low cost housing developments around the West Coast.
• The festival is hosted by Cloof Wine Estate, itself committed to green initiatives and was named a champion in 2006 under the Bio-diversity and Wine Initiative (BWI). This initiative recognises wine farms for the work they do to conserve pristine natural vegetation, rehabilitate previously cultivated areas, and minimise the impact that vineyard and cellar activities have on the environment.

Viva, Rocking the Daisies!!