So what to do (differently)?
From program content to the use of natural resources and purchasing decisions to partnerships, the Schlossfestspiele has an impact on economic, ecological and social dimensions. In order to promote the sustainable development of the Schlossfestspiele, a steering group was formed in 2021, consisting of employees from various departments. Read below to find out what we have achieved so far.
Sustainability action network
As a special milestone, we are delighted to have become a member of the Sustainability Action Network in 2022. By advising experts and exchanging ideas with other partners, the Sustainability Action Network offers support in improving the operational ecology of cultural institutions. This will help us to achieve our future milestone of creating a CO2 balance sheet for the Schlossfestspiele and taking quantitative steps to reduce our CO2 footprint on this basis. (Goal 13)
At the workplace
We are delighted to see how many resource-saving measures have already been implemented at Palais Grävenitz. The use of green electricity, energy-saving light bulbs, recycled paper, microplastic-free cleaning products, flow restrictors in the taps, etc. has also made an active contribution to environmental protection: electric cars are used for necessary journeys wherever possible. In 2022, we also added two e-bikes to our fleet, one of which can also be used as a cargo bike for transportation. For example, the weekly assembly and dismantling of our »Frei Luft Musik« festival on the market square is carried out almost exclusively with the help of cargo bikes.
During the festival
We also keep an eye on our sustainability goals during ongoing festival operations: in the past years thanks to our multi-year collaboration with the unpackaged store Ohne PlaPla , we have managed to reduce waste from our artist catering to a minimum (goal 12). This goal will remain a priority in the future. We also try to avoid waste in our advertising materials and publications by calculating print runs as precisely as possible and nevertheless giving any excess print a new purpose through upcycling. In 2023, for example, we converted old posters into new colorful notepads. In future, we want to reduce our consumption of resources even further by also offering digital versions of program booklets, for example.
The bouquet of flowers at the end of a concert became personalized tree sponsorships and sponsorships for native flowering meadowsIn this way, we support the reforestation of German forests, CO2 compensation and the preservation of biodiversity (Goal 15).
In addition to these ecological aspects, we are pleased about all the collaborations and partnerships we have realized to date with strong partners and institutions (goal 17), which we are constantly deepening regionally. As a member of the LUIS city centre association, we are also particularly concerned about revitalizing the city centre and maintaining the quality of life in Ludwigsburg (goal 11). The popular »Frei Luft Musik« series aims to make a contribution to this.
We are passionate about our responsibility to bring development issues to life. In addition to addressing current topics such as gender identities and the climate crisis, the program also focuses on involving all visitors (Goal 4). Among other things, we created an open space for exchange, participation and listening at the »17 Goals Camp« in 2023 together with urban society and numerous stakeholders.
Through other free offers such as »Frei Luft Musik« and the Fest Spiel Zentrum, as well as support of the Ludwigsburg Card, we are also striving for greater inclusion by reducing financial barriers . The offer for young festival guests in training was also extremely well used. This is based on the desire to appeal to a broader and more diverse audience. Since the 2022 season, we have also been offering the evening programs for our events free of charge with the option to give money voluntarily. In recent years, this has raised generous donations of over €6,000, which are donated to selected social causes (objectives 3 and 4).
