The Music Cities Awards are presented by Saxony - State of the Arts. This is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward the most outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental and cultural development in cities and places all around the world.
As the announcement of the nominees (on August 3rd) and the awards ceremony (October 18th as part of the Huntsville Music Cities Convention) are getting closer, we're excited to share the amazing and inspiring group of applicants for each of the contest categories.
Scroll down to discover this year's applicants for "Best Initiative Using Music to Support Environmental Sustainability", a group of candidates that promote carbon emissions reductions, put on circular festivals, support reforesting projects and more across different regions of the world.
The Green Room (France): The Green Room is a non-profit organisation developing creative strategies for environmental and social change for the music industry since 2016. Working with associated musicians and technicians, venues, local and European music projects and
networks, The Green Room sets up low carbon tours, carries out evaluations, awareness raising actions, training and operational studies on music practices and environmental issues. The organisation is involved in various European projects, and currently a partner in the C'man Erasmus+ project, developing tools and trainings programs for cultural managers on change and green management. The Green Room is an active member of On the Move Network.
Kisiki Hai by Frida Amani - Lead Foundation (Tanzania): In 2015 Frida Amani launched her community project 'Changes With Frida Amani' with a song named KISIKI HAI in a partnership with LEAD Foundation. The method helped to restore over a million trees. The song is used to create awareness to the society and help the students to easy understand the KISIKI HAI method as nature based solution to the regreening process. The song is played as teaching material at every village, helping it as a catalyst to create familiarity with the method.
hinter live (Canada): Filmed in the wild, hinter live is a project that plants trees in forest in need via live music performances shot in Canadian National Parks as a way to make a positive impact towards encouraging or implementing environmental sustainability initiatives in arts and culture. The Montréal based company that specialises in the crossroads between environmentalism and live music just completed the reforestation of over 8.000 trees as a contribution to the the forest fires in British Columbia with the NGO One Tree Planted. They have released 16 episode, each session plants over 500 trees and supports artist, musicians, products and the overall music ecosystem.
Øyafestivalen (Norway): Øyafestivalen started in 1999, wanting to strengthen Oslo as a music city. Now, Øya is an established music festival in Norway, with a strong international identity, over 300 concerts in a wide range of genres, renowned international artists and over 100,000 visitors over five days. Øya was named the greenest festival in the world in 2020 and has won several environmental awards both in Norway and abroad. The festival ha been sold out for the past 21 years.
Green event standard & Environmental handbook by Øyafestivalen & Norske Kulturarrangører (NKA) (Norway): Norske Kulturarrangører (NKA) is a nationwide, party-politically independent interest and competence organisation for promoters in the cultural field. The organisation's international name is Norwegian Live. NKA work to ensure that our members and their businesses are prepared for and better equipped to handle a changing field of cultural promoters and society. The green event standard and the environmental handbook, is a part of NKA work on sustainability and the green transition of the sector.
Pachamama Culture: Music C•A•R•E•S, Sustainability Platform in Live-Music (Germany): Founded by Mauricio Lizarazo, PC is a sustainability-oriented, international project that focuses on tour management, live music production for bands and live acts with social responsibility. Through his work at PC, Mauricio has focused on climate and socio-economic justice in the music industry and is currently developing Music C•A•R•E•S, a sustainability platform dedicated to promoting live-music events under fair and sustainable conditions.
The Bike Valet by Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) (Canada): Since 1991, BEST has built innovative mobility justice programs which remove barriers to active, low-carbon, and green travel, such as cycling, walking, transit, seniors transportation, and car-sharing. They believe that better access to green travel options lets more people connect and take part in their communities. In the pursuit of advancing sustainable practices, the pioneering Bike Valet project has ingeniously employed the power of music to not only elevate the experience of riders but also create a vibrant platform for advocating sustainability.
Amalur by June Calsor (Spain): Amalur Culture Organisation harnesses the transformative power of music to inspire individuals and spark actions for a more sustainable and inclusive world. By creating captivating musical experiences and raising awareness about pressing environmental and social issues, they aim to empower people to make a positive difference in their communities. Amalur has taken an innovative approach by using music as a tool to promote environmental sustainability, thus creating 10 original songs inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This initiative showcases a unique and original way of addressing environmental awareness through music.
Jazz & Rhythms Festival (Mexico): Jazz & Rhythms is a festival that uses music to encourage and implement environmental sustainability. This is done by organising an event that becomes a transformational experience for the people who assist. The festival also has a partnership with Cantaro Azul for water purification and supports Pies a la Tierra, an independent collective in the mountains of Chiapas, that looks to improve farmer's way of life through activities such as agroecology, biofarming, culture and education.
Bilbao BBK Live Festival (Spain): Bilbao BBK Live is one of the reference festivals in Europe, located in a privileged natural setting called Kobetamendi that hosts up to 12 stages. Held every year in mid-July in Bilbao, Basque Country, this event has already welcomed more than a million attendees since its first edition in 2006. The event tries to be a place where environmental and social sustainability go hand in hand, with the purpose of creating an inspiring experience about caring for oneself and the environment.
The Music Cities Awards Ceremony will take place on October 18th as part of the Huntsville Music Cities Convention. The last Early Bird Price tickets for the event will be available until the end of July. Head here to get yours.
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