Hosting a music event requires a tremendous amount of resources — food and water for tens of thousands of attendees; electricity, fuel, and massive physical structures for performances; and equipment for vast teams. The environmental impact can be huge.

From the moment the inaugural Global Citizen Festival hit the scene in 2012 — with The Black Keys and Neil Young among the headliners — we’ve been incorporating principles of sustainability, getting greener every year. Our goal? Zero everything — from waste and emissions to environmental harm. 

As an advocacy organization that campaigns on defending the planet — and writes extensively on the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss — we like to practice what we preach.

Global Citizen has long been incorporating principles of sustainability into our events and our team has worked to build upon these efforts year after year. It’s important for us to pursue zero waste, zero emissions, and zero environmental harm, modeling what an environmentally viable future looks like in the process. 

This year, we’re taking things up a notch for Power Our Planet: Live in Paris; coming to the Champ de Mars on June 22.

The impact that an event like Power Our Planet: Live in Paris could have on influencing world leaders that have the power to impact millions of people affected by the climate crisis cannot be understated. 

The event will act as a megaphone for youth activists on the front lines of the climate crisis to rally global leaders attending the New Global Financial Pact Summit, chaired by France’s President Macron on June 22 and 23 — calling on them to commit to reimagining our financial systems to meet the moment, defend the planet, and make sure that no matter where you live, everyone is protected from the worst impacts of climate change.

Here are five ways we’re making the event as eco-friendly as possible.

1. Reducing Emissions by up to 90%

Something you may not know is that large outdoor events require generators for power. And industrial generators use diesel, one of the dirtiest fossil fuels available. Instead of traditional diesel, Global Citizen and partnering organizations are using an alternative called Neste MY Renewable Diesel that results in up to 90% less greenhouse gas emissions to keep the lights on and the music going. 

2. Better Waste Management

The thousands of Global Citizens who will be attending Power Our Planet: Live in Paris could, due to the nature of events, generate waste from food, beverages, and more. But Global Citizen is dedicated to both minimizing the amount of waste and ensuring that all waste can be effectively recycled, composted, or processed. 

We’ll have an enhanced waste management and recycling program throughout the entire site (including all backstage and technical areas) to collect all waste and get it to the appropriate facilities to be recycled, reused, and composted.  

The site will be continuously cleaned and any collected waste will be sorted appropriately.  

3. Zero Single-Use Plastic Waste

What’s better than sustainably disposing of waste? Creating no waste at all. We will avoid single-use plastic bottles and straws and Global Citizens will instead be encouraged to bring their own reusable plastic water bottles to fill up at free water stations. 

Our catering and concession areas will be plastic-free and will use cleanable and reusable servingware or products that are made of sustainable recyclable materials.  

4. 100% Plant-Based Food

Did you know that avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth?

That’s why all vendors at Power Our Planet: Live in Paris will be prioritizing delicious plant-based food to minimize the environmental impact of the day’s food. 

We’re also optimizing food quantities to make sure nothing goes to waste.

5. Reusing and Renting Equipment

Our vision is that of a zero waste event. Zero waste means redesigning the life cycle of all the products that we use so that no trash is sent to landfills or incinerators. Based on our sustainability assessments, we have successfully diverted tons of landfill waste at our past events.  

The site infrastructure is also all rented and reusable, from the stage to the plants and the tents. The large red circle scenic piece on the stage will be stored for future use. The remaining scenic pieces will be recycled or reused for future projects.