At the Table – SXSW

For those who don’t know, SXSW stands for South by Southwest. It’s three overlapping festivals held in Austin, Texas, every year in March – interactive (computers and new technology), film, and music. The expected draw for the week is over half a million people. (It’s the largest music festival in the country, if not the world, so most people come for that.)

I’ve been down here attending the interactive and film parts (and sneaking into a few music events like Pete Townshend’s keynote speech and his performance at his partner Rachel Fuller’s In the Attic show), so I thought I’d find a way to tie in sustainability and what we do with SXSW. How in the world is that possible?

To start with, SXSW went carbon neutral this year – well, they’re taking steps to be carbon neutral, which is a very positive sign – even Townshend mentioned it during his talk. Ten years ago a festival like this was only about rock and roll, but the general trend now is toward thinking about our impact on the environment (while still having a good time).

SXSW is specifically doing energy audits on their offices and even their employees’ travel patterns; they’re recycling waste from all their outdoor events and are using biodiesel in their generators and production trucks. They’ve also bought wind energy credits, are on a waiting list to purchase green electricity from an Austin program, and have donated money to the Austin Parks Department for the planting and care of native trees. And to top it all off, they’re encouraging all participants to do the same.

One heartening trend that I’ve seen is that the entertainment and new technology fields really do seem to be embracing sustainability and sustainable issues. These days, it’s almost necessary to offset your energy costs when doing public events – if you don’t, someone will catch you on it. And while at several panels I attended for the interactive festival, people were commenting that there weren’t enough panels for nonprofits and new technology. There seems to be a real interest in not only developing new technology or making good music, but in thinking about how we can better the planet and the world around us. And movies like King Corn, which world premiered here, bring food issues to the big screen.

I’m making a commitment right now to encourage SXSW to have sustainable food at least at some of its events next year – they need a few local, sustainable farmers put in the mix here. The organizers need to know that food production contributes more to global warming than transportation. So, perhaps next year, we at Sustainable Table can start to incorporate our messages into this very influential event. We’ll keep you posted.