Three Ways The Ziro Festival Of Music Is Practicing Sustainability

Ziro Festival of Music (ZFM), the iconic outdoor music festival is set to be back with a bang after a gap of two years. Scheduled to take place between September 29 and October 2, the festival will be held in the picturesque Ziro Valley located in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Home to the Apatani tribe, the Ziro Valley offers travellers lush paddy fields, pine trees, and a pleasant climate. In addition, over the years, both organizers and residents have worked closely with each other to manage the waste and make the festival more sustainable. Since music festivals like ZFM leave behind a massive carbon footprint, they need to be more sustainable. Here's a look at some ways the ZFM is doing so.

Cutting down on products harmful to the environment
The ZFM provides free water through water stations. Furthermore, the organisers encourage everyone to bring their reusable water bottles so that they can fill them up as and when required. Also, the organisers have connected food stall owners with betel leaf cutlery manufacturers so that they can procure them. They have also done away with fairy lights.

Opting for traditional building materials
ZFM exclusively focuses on using traditional building materials for the festival infrastructure, involvement of the community, training youth, and employment of local artisans, thereby contributing to the local economy. The festival banned single-use plastic many years ago and uses recycled materials in its design. Wood from oak, pine, and bamboo trees is used extensively for construction. Additionally, most of the materials used for the construction of the stages are from the previous editions where the material was stored properly.

Clean Ziro, Green Ziro campaign
A campaign called Clean Ziro, Green Ziro ensures that camping sites in and around Ziro completely avoid single-use plastic and water bottles. It is also cleaning local water bodies and rivers routinely.

Meanwhile, a cultural collaboration between the Ziro Festival of Music and UK's Focus Wales took shape in 2020. Supported by the British Council and Art Council of Wales, the 'Ziro Focus' was a virtual festival in an interactive space with visual elements of both celebrations. This year, Ziro Focus is taking the form of Ziro Metaverse, where musical experiences will be transformed to a new level through augmented reality.