The festival, now in its tenth year, announces its partnerships with sustainable companies.
The International Ska and Reggae Fest will be entertaining music fans again this weekend, who will be delighted with the return following a long break from live music.
In its tenth year, the festival will take place in Tramore Racecourse in County Waterford from 10 to 12 September.
The event is in partnership with Every Can Counts and the Ball Corporation. We had a chance to speak to the MC of the event, Rebecca Cappuccini, about the events sustainability goals.
The Ball Aluminum Cup – first event in Ireland to feature this new sustainable cup
Rebecca was recently brought on a tour of the Ball factory in Waterford. She spoke to us about the aluminium cup, which will be showcased for the first time at the Irish International Ska and Reggae Fest this weekend.
“I believe this cup is a wonderful alternative to plastic as not only is it fully recyclable, but it keeps your drinks cool for longer, too,” Rebecca tells us.
This sounds like an inspiring new endeavour for the events industry in Ireland.
Every Can Counts – it’s a bag of cans, not a bag of can’ts
Every Can Counts aims to educate and encourage everyone to recycle their cans.
They will have volunteers on-site at the Irish International Ska and Reggae Fest this weekend, equipped with can recycling backpacks for people to dispose of their drink cans in.
The volunteers will also be on standby to discuss the advantages of recycling their cans over the weekend.
Rebecca explains the life cycle of the aluminium can to us, which she learned at her visit to the Ball factory.
“It only takes 60 days for a can to go from recycled to shelf. This process is incredible, sustainable, and definitely something we should all be striving to attain.
“Small, simple changes in our daily habits can and will have huge ripple effects on the world around us”.
The Great Wall of Ska – showcasing the beauty of aluminium
Rebecca told us about the great wall of ska, which will be on-site for the festival, explaining that it is a pixel wall of cans, indeed a sight to behold. It will surely be a great Instagram opportunity for the weekend and will hopefully get people talking.
“It really allows you to see the beauty in aluminium”, Rebecca says.
“Every Can Counts is a movement, and we need to get our environmental footprint to a better space for the future of our planet”.
Importance of a sustainable approach – start one can at a time
The effort put into the sustainable approach by the event organisers of the Irish International Ska and Reggae Fest this year is inspiring stuff.
Certain festivals can sometimes get a bad reputation for excess waste left afterwards. In light of this, it’s inspiring to see that organisers are doing their best to encourage their punters to do what they can to make the world a better place.
“You can’t change the world, but you CAN make a sizeable dent that ripples so much positivity. Start one can at a time”, Rebecca puts it so perfectly.
You can still get tickets for the weekend of skanking here. Get in quick, though. For contact tracing reasons, tickets will only be sold online, and they are selling out fast.
