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Sustainability

Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being, and he bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations.

- Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

The Oriente Occidente festival is conceived, planned and realised so as to reduce the negative impact on the environment as much as possible. We want a world where our aspirations can be realised without burdening future generations, where inequalities decrease to make the well-being of all and everyone possible. We work with a clear will to leave a positive legacy to our host community and to the future.

We are aware that staging a festival like ours inevitably involves the use of raw materials, of heat, of light. That performance art is, by its very nature, ephemeral. That inviting companies from around the world to our stages involves not only transporting art, thoughts, and ideas, but also many individuals.

For this reason we have put in place a series of actions to control and reduce our impact on the environment:

As of 2022, we have introduced a sustainability manager on our staff, who is responsible for:

  • Prepare and periodically update the Action Plan

  • Organize training sessions for staff and targeted actions on publics and realities we come into contact with

  • Inform audiences, guests and occasional collaborators of our sustainability policies

  • Orient artistic, organizational and communication choices with a keen eye on environmental sustainability issues

 

In our offices, our Studio, and our break areas

  • we use washable cups, plates, cutlery and glasses for lunch and coffee breaks

  • we drink tap water

  • we have set up recycling bins in each room

  • we use only paper from certified sources (FSC, PESC, ECOLABEL)

  • we use Eco-Label cleaning products

  • we choose local and preferably certified suppliers

  • we have partnerships with restaurants and structures that adopt measures aimed at combating waste, using locally sourced products and reducing the impact on the environment

Unfortunately, we are not able to significantly and directly intervene in the renewable source of the electricity supply, but we have adopted simple rules to curb energy waste:

  • we turn off printers, screens, coffee machines when not in use

  • we use natural light as much as possible

  • we moderate the use of heating and cooling systems

We like to work in networks and also for this reason we ensure our active participation in the network of cultural organizations in the area that share good practices for reducing their ecological footprint.

In 2020 at the invitation of the City of Rovereto joined the Local Urban Group of the URBACT Rovereto project, La Cultura per l'Ambiente, with the aim of raising awareness and mobilizing the cultural sector with respect to climate crisis issues, to reduce the impact of the cultural sector and events, and to spread more awareness of environmental issues among the public.

In 2023, again at the invitation of the Municipality of Rovereto, we joined the Local Working Group of the project ALungo le vie dell’Acqua Ambiente, Cultura, Qualità di vita per educare alla cittadinanza globale, an ambitious and important project that sees the municipality of Rovereto as the leader of a network also composed of the municipalities of Mantua and Cuneo as local partner entities and aims to activate in the three cities educating communities that are committed to the fight against climate change, for the protection of the environment and for sustainable water management in a glocal and inclusive perspective.

The Festival represents one of our most important and at the same time impactful activities. For this reason, East West Dance Festival has its own specific action plan, which translates our commitment into concrete gestures.

Production and printing of promotion materials

We have really thought about this many times. But the answer for now is that it is still impossible for us to totally eliminate the use of paper for promotional activities.

So we decided to try to activate a gradual reduction of paper media and control as much as possible the paper we use.

Until a few years ago, the Festival's communication was based on three media: a booklet, a larger catalog, and the theater programs. Today we have reduced the media by producing only a booklet and the theater programs for only the shows scheduled in the theaters.

All materials are printed in double-sided mode and on certified or recycled paper. For the distribution of printed materials, we have prepared a detailed plan careful to reduce waste.

In collaboration with REDO each year we recycle advertising materials from past editions of the Festival to create unique pieces of merchandising such as bags, backpacks and cases. Finally, the t-shirts provided to the staff are made of organic cotton.

Food & beverage

We also select vendors for appetizers, refreshments, and lunches based on their attention to sustainability issues and ask them to offer only vegetarian menus for us.

We do not offer our guests packaged water but jugs that we fill with drinking water from our water supply.

We do not use plastic tableware but only washable or possibly compostable plates and glasses.

Mobility & hosting

All show venues can be reached by public transportation, or on foot or by bicycle for those already in town. We encourage our guests and publics to download the Muoversi app Muoversi by Trentino Trasporti to consult routes and schedules.

All of our guests are accommodated in close proximity to performance venues to allow for walking trips. And thanks to a collaboration with Ruota Libera, Rovereto's cycle workshop, some bicycles are available to staff for travel around the city.

Partners and suppliers

We privilege working and carrying out activities with local partners and suppliers with whom we share values and goals.

For all these reasons and more since 2019 Oriente Occidente obtains the provincial Eco Events in Trentino label, and in 2022 participated together with the Rete TrovaFestival in the drafting and dissemination of the Linee Guida per Festival Sostenibili.

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