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Editor's note: This is a guest post written by Jacob Gordon, who frequently writes for our sibling site, TreeHugger, and produces TreeHugger Radio. Thanks Jacob!
South by Southwest is right around the corner, thus we're on the prowl for what sort of green and eco-friendly angles we can expect this year. The festival, which descends on Austin, TX each March, is a three-headed juggernaut comprised of summits on music, film, and interactive media. It's colossal. Just try getting through the list of films, panels, and speakers and your eyes start to spasm. Then there are the 1,800 bands on the docket. Previous years saw a smattering of sustainability initiatives and events, including solar DJ sets and stages.
Below are my initial suggestions for green stuff to be on the lookout for.
Panels
SXSW Interactive is a shmorgas board of enticing speakers and panel discussions. Here are some that look promising:
- Can Social Media Save Business So Business Can Save the Planet?
- Will Kiva Kill Your Nonprofit? Donations 2.0
- E-Food Revolution: Interactive Tools to Feed the World
- Social Justice and Video Games
- The Socially Conscious Geek: Makin' Money While Doin' Good
- Zero Waste: the Future of Green
- Handheld Awesome Detectors: Sustainable Apps
Films
Thousands of film-makers and buffs gather for SXSW's film festival. Here are a few to be on the lookout for.
- Change the World, Lives, with Bikes
- Haynesville: A Nation's Relentless Hunt for Energy
- 11/4/08 (documentary about the day Obama was elected)
- A Different Path
- World Peace and other 4th-Grade Achievements
Planning
SXSW is a business that runs year-round in prep for the madness in March. The company, incidentally, has been carbon neutral since 2006, and Southby HQ sports a solar array on the roof. This year, these good people continue their efforts to reduce the festival's paw print. Using paperless planning has cut down on the amount of paper used. In fact, 12,000 sheets were saved by the registration department in 2008 alone. Additionally, all directories and event publications are printed on FSC-certified paper.
The obligatory swag bag (the Big Bag, they call it) has even gotten a bit greener: paper inserts other than magazines and brochures are no longer being accepted for the Big Bags (that cuts down on paper a bit, right?), and sponsors no longer need to supply materials for the full number of bags if they don't want to.
SXSW also says it "will provide a recommended list of items and vendors to aid those interested in "green" promotional items."
Places
In searching for SXSW-sanctioned locales, I found The Beacon: Lounge with a Conscience. The official description is so appealing I'll just quote it in full (sorry, Beaconfire):
Want to meet the best & brightest socially-conscious Geekeratti at SXSW? Need a place to hang with your world-saving entourage, catch some unplugged local music, or just pull up some WiFi and get your blog on? Meet you at The Beacon: Lounge with a Conscience. Sponsored by Beaconfire Consulting.
Needless to say, there will be a perplexity of fun venues in which to shmooze and catch your breath. You can find the official list here.
Parties
Of course, by the time you stumble into The Beacon, you may already be so imbibed with the spirit that it will in fact be a blast. Yes, South by Southwest has a notorious and fully justified reputation for lending itself to full-tilt mayhem and what-did-we-do-last-night antics. The festival bubbles over until Austin's bars, clubs, and streets are swarming with parties and music.
If combining good music, ecological living, and frantic merrymaking is something you're budgeting for, may I suggest a non-affiliated event that is angling to combine all three. Electric Western Records is throwing a Get Your Green On music and technology showcase at the infamous Hole in the Wall on March, 17th (St. Patrick's Day, of course). For a full twelve-hour stint, Electric Western will fill the Hole with amazing bands, green technology and products, a photo booth, and a soul dance party. (Full disclosure-these are my compatriots; you might even see me in the DJ booth.)
There will certainly be more notable developments on South by Southwest's green front as the hydra unravels, so stay tuned and keep an eye on their website.
