(Zero Waste Team members at the Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival in June | Photo by Daniel Stark)
SFF Presents (SFFP) is committed to reducing its environmental impact at their events with a special focus on waste management. After receiving considerable grants from The Environmental Center in Bend and Can’d Aid’s Crush-It Campaign, the organization has made significant progress in diverting refuse and eliminating single-use plastics.
The Environmental Center’s Community Innovation Fund grant of approximately $5,000 enabled SFF Presents (SFFP) to purchase tailored bins and other infrastructure resources and helped to provide funding for a new “Zero Waste Lead” at the Big Ponderoo and Sisters Folk festivals. In addition to the lead, SFFP volunteers are assigned to supervise the zero waste stations during events to ensure waste is being properly sorted by festival attendees.
At the recent Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival at Village Green Park, festival goers diverted 53% of refuse away from landfill. The average for festivals across the country is just 8%. The diverted items included recyclables, redeemable cans and bottles, and food compost, which was dropped off locally at Mahonia Farms.
In 2024, SFFP has completely eliminated single-use plastic cups at their events and requested attendees bring Silipints and Steelys from previous SFFP events for beverage service. Over 2,300 patrons attended this summer’s SFFP events, saving thousands of disposable cups from ending up as landfill. At Big Ponderoo, 220 festival goers brought existing Silipints and received a merchandise voucher in lieu of a new Silipint.
In the artists’ greenroom, organizers established a system for washing utensils and tableware, which saved a significant amount of single-use items going into the landfill.
SFF Presents has also received a grant of over $7,000 from Cand’ Aid’s Crush It Campaign. This grant focuses on sustainability training, auditing, resource evaluation, best practices and forward planning.
“At future events, we’ll be asking patrons to sort trash, food compost, recycling, and redeemable cans and bottles correctly into the designated bins. This simple action significantly reduces landfill waste and supports our sustainability goals,” said SFFP Workflow Specialist, Ruth Williams, who has been leading the effort along with Ty King, SFFP’s Logistics and Facilities Manager.
By participating in SFF Presents’ zero waste efforts, patrons contribute directly to the environmental sustainability of Big Ponderoo, the Sisters Folk Festival, and the wider Sisters community.
