Since 2014, DAS FEST has been honored with the "A Greener Festival Award". As in previous years, the Green'n'Clean Award 2014 was also presented to DAS FEST. Furthermore, as one of the leading festivals, DAS FEST helped with the reorientation and updating of the award by providing information and know-how. An environmental officer watches over the fact that the criteria for keeping the award are met and optimized every year.

All sponsors must specify which giveaways they wish to distribute. This is to prevent low-quality or individually shrink-wrapped products from being given out, which could lead to littering in the green space. Individually shrink-wrapped products, for example, may not be distributed. There is a blanket ban on the distribution of flyers throughout the facility. Regulations on proper waste separation are an integral part of the contracts of all stand operators. In order to guarantee the implementation of environmental protection measures, DAS FEST has introduced an environmental deposit, which the stand operators will only receive back in full if the environmental officer finds the stand in perfect condition after the end of the festival. Should the stand operator intentionally or grossly negligently cause damage to nature or the environment, the deposit will be forfeited. In addition, the food vendors' stands will be supervised by special catering supervisors, who will provide them with support in complying with environmental protection measures such as the correct separation of waste and the responsible use of electrical appliances.

DAS FEST informs its visitors via Facebook, the DAS FEST program booklet and on the DAS FEST website about how they can travel to DAS FEST in an environmentally friendly way. A CO² calculator is available on the DAS FEST website, with which visitors can calculate their CO² emissions for the different travel options. This serves to make the differences clearer to the visitors. In addition, DAS FEST uses this channel to inform about other small but effective measures, such as switching off electrical devices at home and not putting them on standby before leaving the house.

DAS FEST is an inner-city event. On the DAS FEST website, the travel information clearly calls for arriving by public transport. There is a close cooperation with the Karlsruher Verkehrsbetriebe (Karlsruhe public transport company), whereby special streetcars are set up around the festival, which run in close cycles to enable festival visitors to arrive and depart comfortably. DAS FEST itself has almost no parking spaces, so arriving by car is not recommended. If a festival visitor nevertheless wishes to travel by car, he/she is alternatively referred to the possibility of using the carpooling service, which is integrated on the DAS FEST website by means of a form, in order to make access as easy as possible. In addition, DAS FEST has integrated an online Co² calculator on its travel page, which festival visitors can use to calculate their Co² emissions for the various travel options. The Co² calculator is also intended to raise visitors' awareness of environmentally friendly travel.

Cycling is healthy, protects the environment and is very trendy. Whether with a pedelec, mountain bike, city bike or with your normal bike - we are happy if you come to FEST by bike. Our partner BGV / Badische Versicherungen will make sure that you can park your bikes safely. You will find marked parking spaces around the grounds: They are located during the pre-festival week at the entrance T8/Alb, in Wilhelm-Baur-Straße in front of the DRK and at the barbecue area at the playground. During the festival weekend, the parking spaces are located at the Anna-Walch-Haus and at the South Entrance. In the extended Südendstraße the BGV is even waiting for you with a guarded bicycle parking lot. Here your bike will be safe and guarded while you party at the FEST. The BGV bicycle parking lot on the extended Südendstraße is fenced and guarded by trained personnel around the clock. This service is free of charge for you!

Just look for the corresponding signs or find the BGV bicycle parking also in the FEST location map.

The organization of DAS FEST itself saves unnecessary journeys and the associated environmental pollution by cooperating with companies and craft businesses from Karlsruhe and the region for all services. Local artists also receive only one transit permit per band and are encouraged to carpool or rent a bus. In some cases, DAS FEST also offers a shuttle service and collects orchestras at a meeting point, for example, and shuttles them to the grounds. This avoids unnecessary journeys. DAS FEST itself has almost no parking spaces, so arriving by car is not recommended. Most of DAS FEST's suppliers come from the surrounding area anyway and therefore have short travel distances. Great importance is attached to local partners at DAS FEST. All stages, the entire technology, infrastructure such as toilets etc. are all delivered from within a 20 km radius. All suppliers receive exact directions, so that a fast and low-burden delivery is guaranteed. A sophisticated forklift logistics system tries to avoid unnecessary trips and empty runs during assembly and disassembly. Sufficient bicycles are available for the employees, which can also be equipped with trailers. Thus, a large part of the transports can be carried out CO2 neutral by bicycle. DAS FEST makes use of used bicycles, which are refurbished every year in close cooperation with the afka bicycle workshop (Karlsruhe Employment Promotion).

The artists are shuttled from and to the hotel as needed. However, since the hotel is only 8 km from the facility, there is no extended travel here. Local artists receive only one transit permit per band and are encouraged to carpool or rent a bus. In some cases, DAS FEST also offers a shuttle service and collects orchestras at a meeting point, for example, and shuttles them to the site. This avoids unnecessary journeys. The shuttle car runs on gasoline. Since mainly national artists perform at DAS FEST, it is very rare that artists fly in. 95% of the artists travel by bus or train. In the last four years, for example, only one artist arrived by plane.

Since the beginning of the festival, during the set-up and dismantling phases, the waste generated is separated into recyclables and residual waste. During the festival weekend, a separate collection container for food waste will be added. During the festival, a deposit system will come into effect, by means of which dishes, cups and bottles must be returned to the respective stands by the visitors. Proper waste separation is thus possible at the stands.

Each year, the festival's environmental officer optimizes the positioning of trash cans for visitors in order to keep the trash load on the site as low as possible. For example, more trash cans are placed in particularly heavily soiled areas to offer visitors a way to dispose of their waste. In addition, the Günther Klotz facility will be cleaned daily by an expert crew during DAS FEST, with the largest amount of trash having to be collected by hand in the green area. Every year, DAS FEST again receives active support from the Office of Waste Management (AfA). The jointly developed waste concept, which ensures ecologically optimal disposal on the festival grounds, will continue to be pursued in 2015. The AfA supports the FEST in its goals of waste avoidance and the greatest possible recycling and, as a complete waste disposal company, provides the corresponding basics with separate waste garbage cans, containers and waste compactors. Once again, garbage cans with insertion openings in the lid are used for this purpose. Collection vehicles then take the separated waste for environmentally friendly recycling. New on the site since 2015 is the festival garbage can with an orange lid. Visitors can dispose of soiled waste, paper, cardboard and plastic packaging in it. Cardboard and paper are later sorted out in a sorting plant in Karlsruhe. The rest is sent for energy recovery.

During the pre-festival there are also glass garbage cans with yellow lids on the premises. All types of glass can be thrown in here. They are later processed into green glass, as green glass can tolerate a small amount of off-color during recycling. At the entrances, there are also large containers for separating white, brown and green glass by type.

The food stalls will also have bio garbage cans with green lids for PLA and CPLA and garbage cans for food waste. All plates, bowls, cups, etc. handed out will be collected and picked up separately. Afterwards, the individual batches are disposed of according to the respective national and European regulations and guidelines. The food leftovers are taken to a food waste recycling facility. Regulations on proper waste separation are an integral part of the contracts of all stand operators. In order to guarantee the implementation of environmental protection measures, DAS FEST has introduced an environmental deposit, which the stand operators will only receive back in full if the environmental officer finds the stand in perfect condition after the end of the festival. Should the stand operator intentionally or grossly negligently cause damage to nature or the environment, the deposit will be forfeited.

The sale of food and beverages at DAS FEST should result in as little waste as possible. To meet this requirement, a comprehensive deposit system is in place throughout the site when serving food and beverage containers, so that the majority can be properly collected, recycled or composted. Food at DAS FEST is served on plates made of sugar cane fiber - a residual material from the sugar industry. Paper napkins and tablecloth rolls are made from pure cellulose, bleached without chlorine in accordance with EN Norm 648, and water-based inks are used that are environmentally friendly, compostable and contain neither heavy metals nor toxic substances. The cold drinks are served in PLA cups. PLA consists of 100% rapidly renewable plant raw materials and does not consume any raw materials that are harmful to the environment.

Almost exclusively, reusable products and materials are used in the festival construction. For example: stage structures, pagoda tents, seating and tables, garbage cans, supply lines for electricity and drinking water, barriers, etc.. Signs for safety and event locations are designed in such a way that they can be used again every year. The Günther-Klotz site will be cleaned daily by a trained clean-up crew for ten days during DAS FEST, with most trash having to be collected by hand. Therefore, the organizing team is especially happy about those DAS FEST visitors who support the environmental measures and do not leave any trash on the festival grounds. Any give-aways from sponsors must be agreed upon with the organizer beforehand. This is to avoid littering on the festival grounds due to low-quality or individually shrink-wrapped giveaways. There is a general ban on the distribution of flyers on the entire festival site.

For several years, DAS FEST has relied entirely on NatuR electricity from the Karlsruhe municipal utility. This electricity is generated 100% in hydropower plants - without any climate-damaging CO2 emissions. In addition, the NatuR offer contributes to the conservation of fossil resources such as coal, oil or natural gas. Depending on the requirements of the stage show, the power supply for the main stage relies on additional support from diesel generators. The power supply in the Günther Klotz facility is very limited and requires strict control and elaborate logistics. All sponsors and external stand operators such as food caterers must therefore declare their power requirements before the event. Before the event, a stand inspection will take place, during which the electrical equipment will be checked.

The hand washing tanks at DAS FEST are equipped with pressure washers to avoid wasting water. During the helper training, it is always pointed out that water should be used sparingly. Wastewater is discharged into the sewage system via the Karlsruhe public utility company. Our sanitary service provider takes the wastewater from the sanitary facilities directly to the sewage treatment plant. In this way, no wastewater gets into the ground. In the event of heavy rain, the construction team protects the facility with sand and heavy flooring. Accumulated water is pumped out at considerable expense and the areas drained. The high costs for this are borne by DAS FEST.

DAS FEST program booklet is printed on paper bearing the "Forest Stewardship Council" (FSC®) seal of quality for responsible forestry. The CO2 emissions generated during production are offset by payments for recognized climate protection projects. Each year, DAS FEST supports a different project. DAS FEST works together with the local printing company Stober. In this way, DAS FEST avoids using cheap online printers, supports the region and compliance with the minimum wage.

The coveted DAS FEST t-shirts are made from organic cotton, which is grown without genetically modified seeds, without harmful and environmentally damaging pesticides, as well as without fertilizers and with sustainable water management. The DAS FEST coffee cups come exclusively from domestic production.

Fair trade, cooperation in partnership, sustainability and environmentally conscious handling are the hallmarks of the Ettli company, which supplies DAS FEST with high-quality, organic-certified Fairtrade coffee. The traditional Ettlingen-based company also subsidizes the popular DAS FEST coffee cups, which come exclusively from domestic production.

Over 65% of the food providers come from the immediate region and also process regional products for the most part. Only 35% come from outside the region. There is a wide range of vegan and vegetarian food on offer at FEST. 21% of the food stands have a purely vegetarian and 6% a purely vegan offer. Gluten-free and lactose-free offerings also expand the portfolio.

The beer comes from the local brewery and is transported only a few kilometers. The water comes from Peterstal and is transported about 95 km. The non-alcoholic beverages come from Duisburg and are transported accordingly about 350 km. At all beverage stands water is the cheapest beverage. Peterstaler is the water supplier of DAS FEST. Most recently, Peterstaler's still water was awarded a very good rating by Ökotest. Peterstaler is committed to environmental protection measures.

Freshly prepared organic food is available in the backstage area and in the staff area (Live Cooking).

In the program booklet and on the video walls of DAS FEST, visitors are advised to protect their hearing. Earplugs can be purchased at all merchandising stands. Disposable earplugs will also be handed out free of charge at the DAS FEST information booths. Due to the fact that the festival area borders directly on hospitals, a retirement home and a residential area, special attention is paid to keeping noise emissions as low as possible. Thus, the musical program of DAS FEST will also end at midnight at the latest. In addition, a permanent "noise protocol" will be established at the main stage. The legal limits are strictly adhered to here.

Before starting work, all employees receive our employee primer, which points out all environmental protection measures that are carried out in the Günther Klotz plant. The following points in particular are also pointed out in the helper induction:

• Respectful treatment of the green area
  
• Waste prevention - always collect cable ties etc.
  
• Waste separation - overviews of which material should go into which garbage can are posted everywhere
  
• Reuse materials when possible, don't throw them away right away
  
• Use water sparingly
  
• Carry out transports by bicycle if possible