Sustainability
How we grow
Stemming from the fact that nearly 80% of plants in UK gardens originate overseas, PoliNations uses the garden as a metaphor for how different people, with different stories, can unite in celebration.
This core idea gave the participation team a challenge; we wanted to engage lots of different people around Birmingham in one uniting activity. The answer was obvious: PoliNations had to be literally co-grown by people across the city. Read about our community co-growing project.
Our plants have been sourced and grown in the UK to reduce emissions from transport and we linked up with Simon Needle of Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham Tree Project to donate plants to the city after the event. Read about the Birmingham Tree Project.
The plants have been sourced from 3 nurseries - Wyevale Nurseries, Palmstead Nurseries and Kelways Nurseries, read more about them below.
How we power
Up to 70% of carbon emissions at festivals come from power generation. We’re powering our stages, lighting, sound and backstage areas by plugging straight into the mains electricity with Birmingham City Council who use 100% renewable power. That means no diesel guzzling polluting noisy generators on site at all!
How we resource & design
From glitter and sequins to tea and toilets, we’ve tried to reduce our carbon footprint in every area of design and resources. The canopies of each giant architectural tree include 12 raincatcher sails that diverted rain water, collecting it to help water the live plants on site.
How we communicate
We’re using low carbon printing, signs and website design and our website is 100% renewably powered!
Who we are
A sneak peek into the personal perspectives on sustainability from different members of the team. Read about making PoliNations sustainable with Angie Bual, Carl Robertshaw, Fenella Dawnay, Helen Freudenburg and Jenny Hutt.
Have you seen our raincatchers?
Each tree canopy includes 12 rain catcher sails, that diverts rainwater and collects it to help water the live plants on the PoliNations site
Delivering a low carbon event
At PoliNations, we are committed to delivering a low carbon event and ensuring that environmental sustainability is a priority that is strategically built in across all aspects of the project.
We are dedicated to keeping our carbon footprint as small as possible while still presenting an engaging, high quality event. Our environmental impact and sustainability has been considered across all aspects of the project since its conception, and will continue to be a priority throughout.
We promise to be open and to track and share our sustainability journey with you throughout the life of the project, so our audiences can see how and why we come to our decisions. We hope that this will increase awareness and inspire our audiences, partners and collaborators to join us!
Check back soon for our blogs and Q&As surrounding the sustainability of our project or have a look at the Environmental Policy on the About page.
