Surprisingly Sustainable: Oktoberfest Green Side

Admin
Oct 24, 2017
2 min read

Oktoberfest - everyone knows it and loves it, but maybe few know that although is a huge event, it has some clear sustainable compliance rules when it comes to its organisation.

According to later research, these are few of the findings.

Waste control

In 1991, the city of Munich banned disposable paper plates and plastic forks. Instead, food was served on real plates, with real cutlery. Drinks were served in glasses, rather than plastic ones. This one change reduced waste at the annual festival by over 90 percent. It’s an encouraging statistic for festivals worldwide, especially those that think that waste-free celebrations are beyond their capabilities. After all, Oktoberfest is hardly a small-time operation, with around six million visitors entertaining each year.

Water use and organic food

Water from dish washing doesn’t just go down the drain, either. In almost half the festival tents, gray water is reused to flush the toilets. Reusing water drastically reduces the fresh water consumption and ensures that Oktoberfest gets the most use out of it. Much of the food served at Oktoberfest — including the meat — is also organically sourced. And while we could definitely make a strong case for reducing the amount of meat eaten, choosing organic sources makes already a difference.

Energy

Since the year 2000, streetlights, toilets and all other public areas of the festival have been powered by renewable energy. This attitude of environmental awareness has filtered down to its vendors who look also for more unconventional resources.

As one of long time celebrated festivals, Oktoberfest has survived, barely touched by tradition change. Originally celebrated to mark the marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to the Saxon Princess Therese on Oct. 12, 1810, it has remained to these days, a celebration of good beer, food and traditional wear. In addition, the city of Munich has focused on creating Oktoberfest entertaining and an example of eco-friendly celebration for its millions of visitors every year.