One Planet Festival 2008

The One Planet Festival is a celebration of the District of Lancaster, in the United Kingdom – celebrating the District through film, music, arts, food and drink. The festival will feature 14 artist performances, both local and international emerging musical talent, with at least four slots reserved for Sonicbids members. Selected acts will be paid $200 for their performance. Performances will be held at the Lancaster’s Duke Playhouse, the town hall and various music venues throughout the town from October 10-12, 2008.

The festival committee will pay for the carbon offsetting of the emissions produced by a return transatlantic flight per person. The festival is also interested in featuring bands and DJs with equipment powered by sustainable sources (acoustic acts powered by bicycle generators etc) though this is not a requirement and our guiding principle is simply the quality of the music regardless of the artist’s country of origin.

The festival is being organised by Local and Effective Sustainable Solutions (LESS), an initiative of the Energy Forum of the Lancaster District Sustainability Partnership, Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster University, CME Artist Services, Escendency Ltd. and various other bodies and businesses and has been approved by the Lancaster District Council. The goal of the festival is to:

• Champion sustainable practices, cutting edge technology and research, and those organisations, businesses and individuals working towards our District becoming sustainable.
• Promote these practices and initiatives to the wider community.
• Increase awareness of climate change, peak oil (energy descent), and the solutions available to us as a community through films, lectures, panel discussions and workshops.
• Drink beer, listen to great music, enjoy some good food and have a great time in our town

The festival will also include the following:
• Talks from key note speakers on sustainability issues at the Dukes Playhouse as well as panel discussions on films.
• A ‘Climate Change Film Festival’ at the Dukes Playhouse open to submissions from around the world.
• A Sustainability Exposition at Lancaster Town Hall Sat. 11th
• Pubs, Restaurants, charity shops, markets, examples of good practice will be listed on a pamphlet
• Day trips in waste recycled oil powered bus/es to examples of sustainability in practice in Lancaster and adjacent districts with a lunch at locations catering local produce.

Events will be ticketed by day and also for weekend as a whole for film and music events – one, two, three or four day ticket applicable for all events.