Metal Roots From Sound To Sustainability
This project by the Chasing The Light Art photographer Iuliana Pasca is born from her desire to explore the intersection of metal music and environmental sustainability. Through stories and photographs she is hoping to inspire you to rethink how you can contribute to a more sustainable world. Her unique website is Metal Roots / From Sound To Sustainability and you can also follow her on social media to keep update
MetalEarth Festival interview ~ Iuliana Pasca
An interview with Vincent, the director of Metalearth Festival in France.
MetalEarth Festival has a reputation for connecting music with activism. What do you wish people would ask more often about this aspect that goes beyond the “why” or “how” of your eco-initiatives?
What is most important is the educational aspect of the festival. With the help of environmental organizations, the festival offer educational tools to explain a particular issue (the theme of the festival): exhibition, videos, virtual reality headsets, etc… We really want to raise public awareness of the threats facing our planet and provide them with knowledge of environmental problems. To awaken their ecological conscience is the purpose. We therefore expect the audience to be interested and questioning, to interact with the NGOs and ask them questions about the issue highlighted. Knowledge must allow awareness, and in the long term, a change in mentalities and destructive practices. Of course, the festival is a modest contribution to this change.
Green practices
Could you describe how the metal community responded to the idea of green practices at music events? Do you see a shift toward more environmentally conscious choices within the scene?
Beyond the educational aspect, the festival is built (or try to be) with an eco-friendly and sustainable development approach. It should be noted that our festival is a small indoor one, that only schedules French bands for the moment. It therefore does not have the environmental impacts that larger outdoor festivals can have. We do not yet have a sustainable development charter and we have not really communicated about this approach. That’s why I think the public is less aware of our efforts and does not talk to us much about it. Many festivals now have an eco-friendly and sustainable approach and advertise it. At the Metalearth festival, the most important thing is knowledge and awareness of écological problems. The eco-friendly and sustainable organization of the event is essential for us but is just « obvious » rather than an essential topic of discussion !
Eco-friendly practices tend to develop in festivals (for example Hellfest has just recruited someone to work on decreasing thier environmental and carbon footprint… and we can suggest to them not to set off fireworks every year, which we don’t give a damn about !). French government is pushing in this direction (Sustainable Development Charter for Festivals) and more and more actors in the field of music industry, such as the « Collectif des festivals bretons », are supporting stakeholders in their ecological transition by offering them tools, training and financial support. In the long term, this could be mandatory to receive subsidies or simply to exist.
Promoting sustainability
In promoting sustainability, what specific actions have been implemented since the festival’s launch? Are there any unconventional methods you’re particularly proud of?
Over the first 3 years, we have developed and improved an approach adapted to our event: local and organic catering for the artists (with 2 meals: meat meal and vegetarian meal), local and organic beer for the public, waste recycling (earplugs, cigarette butts), French web host with French servers, organic cotton merchandising. In addition, La Carène, the venue that co-produced the festival with us this year, has been working since the COVID period to reduce the environmental impact of its activities: it no longer offers bottles of water to artists but flasks to limit plastic waste, its website is eco-designed to limit energy consumption or the production of digital waste and it has considerably reduced its carbon footprint… For example, it will not agree to program a band that would come to Brest by plane (unless it is already on tour in France). So this year we have also benefited from all their know-how ! Our collaboration with La Carène is recent and we still have things to learn from them on the production of an ecological concert. To answer your question, we can say that we are proud of all the eco-friendly measures. We can highlight our 100% organic catering, which is very popular with artists!
Challenges
What was the greatest challenge you’ve encountered in your efforts to organize an eco-friendly festival?
I would rather talk to you about an upcoming challenge, which is to bring international bands at the festival, without them taking a plane. It will be a real challenge for us because Brest is the westernmost big city in France! It is located in the department of Finistère, which name comes from the Latin « Finis Terrae » ! It is already complicated for some French bands to come to the festival. This will perhaps lead us to rethink our way of programming bands or even the festival format.
Collaborations
Given MetalEarth’s environmental emphasis, what collaborations (with artists, vendors, or organizations) have had the most meaningful impact on the festival’s sustainability efforts?
Farmers, sellers and innovative companies in the surrounding area are important to us. We try to develop our eco-friendly approach with local partners and there are many who do things for the environment! Do you know that a couple of Romanian farmers who have been living in the region for several years supply us with organic vegetables! Long live Romania and Brittany! In our city Brest, there is a company that recycles cigarette butts. We were not able to work directly with them, but the venue already uses recycling ashtrays made by this company. We must seek and destr…develop our local relationships around an ecological approach ! The venue is now a stakeholder in the organization of the festival, it also supports us with its experience and helps the festival improve its eco-responsibility. The venue has implemented actions to reduce its environmental impact, so it will be an important player in the future if we continue to be programmed there.
Inspiration
Has the festival inspired any attendees, bands, or vendors to pursue environmental responsibility beyond the event itself? Can you share any memorable examples?
We hope that the festival helps the audience to open their eyes to ecological problems and leads them to rethink their way of life, and to be more respectful of nature. But the festival is only one small element in the chain. Society is evolving and increasingly understanding environmental issues. It is a slow process on a human scale, even if a transformation is undeniably taking place. I don’t have an example of a person who was inspired by the festival. But during the festival, people get informed, sign petitions, and some inquire about becoming volunteers in the invited NGOs. All these little things show that after the event, people will continue their ecological thinking!
Feedback
Has there been any specific feedback from bands or fans that influenced MetalEarth’s sustainability strategies?
We have already been offered stands of eco-friendly jewellery or guitar picks but that’s about it. Fans and bands come above all for the music even if, of course, they could be interested in ecological subjects. Concerning the bands, we try to invite ecologically committed bands and I have the impression that more and more are. So, the music is in line with our concept and it’s really great. It reinforces the message and gives a stronger overall cohesion. For example, Nothing But Echoes came to the second edition to defend their concept album which talks about the extinction of living species
Primal Age (Hardcore) is committed to animal protection. In 2022, they played their song « While Real Things Are Hidden » and they showed a small movie about grindaraps, the massacres of cetaceans in the Faroe Islands
This year, the bands mostly had a link with the marine theme of the festival, for example Atlantis Chronicles only deals with aquatic themes in their songs
During the festival this year, and it was not planned, one of our media partners also wanted to talk about the diving organization Shark Education which raise awareness among divers about sharks, so that they can better understand them and respect them. He spoke on the microphone and we showed a video. So you see, people are really starting to understand what we want to do and to participate in the concept!
Future
What is your vision for the future of Metal Earth Festival and its role in fostering environmental awareness within the music industry?
We hope to be able to organize the festival again in the same place next year and to continue our development in partnership with La Carène. La Carène offers a « Club » venue (capacity of 350 p.), in which the festival took place this year, and a larger one (capacity of 1300 p.) which can allow us to put out a larger event, that would reach more people.
Metal Earth Festivals future achievements
If you could choose one outcome that MetalEarth’s existence could achieve for the planet, what would it be?
It would be a good thing if the donations we make at the end of each edition could finance all or part of a concrete project in favour of the environment. For example, a Sea Shepherd campaign at sea, a beach cleaning action, the care and reintroduction of an animal… This would make the action of the festival truly tangible. But for that, we will have to increase the amount of our donations. We also hope that our exhibitions can be reused and shown in schools after the festival. This year, the ocean referent of the local Greenpeace Brest group, Laurence, recovered the exhibition to present it in her nursery/elementary school. This is the circular economy, nothing is lost, and especially not knowledge!
Advice
Lastly, what advice would you offer to organizations or individuals who are looking to start implementing sustainable initiatives in their events? Any key steps or lessons learned that you’d like to share?
This is only our 3rd edition and we still have a lot to learn. But I can tell them that, in the eco-friendly approach, every little gesture counts. Nothing should be neglected. You have to be uncompromising to be effective. They must also rely their local farmers, producers/sellers and companies. Many of them make organic products or develop eco-friendly strategies.
Vincent, Metalearth director
Congratulations on the incredible work you’ve done with this initiative, and I wish you much success in the future. Thank you so much for sharing your insights for Metal Roots. Thank you Iuliana for contacting us and for the spotlight of our festival. All our best wishes for success for your project Metal Roots !
Keep up to date with the Metalearth Festival with the following links
