Big Bad Brand #1: Coachella

Previously as established, we recognised that Coachella contributes to chemical pollution through plastic and glitter. However, pollution as an issue is not only prevalent during the event but also a pivotal issue pre-Coachella. Let’s dive deeper and see what other issues arise with Coachella as a brand.

 

Dirty Air in Coachella

Did you know that in 2016, 36,502 vehicles were used to attend Coachella in 2016 (Larasti, 2019)? Many vehicles were used as personal cars, for lift share (also known as Coarpoochella) and also private hire vehicles. This equates to a large amount of carbon emitting vehicles being used to transport people to the event as well as moving around during the day.

An in-depth look by Meridian Consultants estimated that the total emissions of all vehicles to Coachella was 1,181,864.50kg of CO2. This figure is equivalent to 251 average passenger vehicles driven for one year (Larasti, 2019) in merely a span of 2 weekends. The carbon emissions via vehicles have the worst impact on the environment for they are usually not within the organisers’ control – the organisers themselves thus can only incentivise them via rewards to those who are willing to pick others’ up along the way, saving the need for more carbon emitting vehicles.

The greenhouse gas produced from transportation directly contributes to climate change and decreases the air quality in Coachella Valley. A study in 2000 by the scientists at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assesment revealed that air pollution in the valley was mostly “coarse” particles, measuring between 2.5 and 10mm each.

 

 

Sound of your heart?

Hip-hop, indie rock and electronic music are common genres of Coachella – here is The 1975 (my favourite band too) at Coachella in 2019. With that many people plus the loud concert music, it is no suprise that noise pollution is one of the inevitabilities of Coachella. The main stage of Coachella has loud speakers that are designed to reproduce low-frequency sounds, like earth-shaking bass. Music festivals can reach over 100decibles, akin to a jet plane taking off. This noise pollution not only affects humans but also animal habitats and thus alter their behaviour (LMU. 2019).

Music festivals like Coachella are indeed fun! But to what extent do we place our fun over other earthly habitants’ needs? Yes, there are more efforts in ensuring ssutainability in Coachella but are they lip-service or do we genuinely believe that music festivals can be sustainable?

 

References