What We Do
Earth Relationships offers tailored environmental management, education, and land regeneration services for festivals and rural communities. Our unique approach integrates traditional knowledge, environmental science, and psychology-based education to empower events and educate communities, fostering environmentally responsible behaviours for lasting change.
Why We Do It
Have you ever been to a festival and wondered..
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What impact the event is having on the local environment?
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Which animals and plant life inhabit the surrounding habitats?
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What practical and effective steps you can take to reduce your impact at festivals?
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What historical traditions and cultural significance envelop you?
We're right there with you and plan to provide you with some answers.
Photo Credit: Hubris
Current festival environmental research mainly concentrates on major issues like waste and carbon footprint, overlooking smaller-scale local impacts due to perceived complexity. Personal observations reveal manageable problems like habitat destruction, sound/light pollution, and water quality degradation during festivals can be common and is often linked to a lack of knowledge rather than deliberate negligence.
Earth Relationships aims to address these issues by employing effective education methods for all stakeholders.
Photo Credit: Reelpix
What We'll Achieve
An Ecological and Economical Sustainable Event Industry
Collaborating with festival organisers, we assist in integrating sustainability into event planning and decision-making that aim to reduce event impacts, streamline council applications, and boost ticket sales. Ultimately, our efforts aim to support the industry and enhance the festival experience for all involved.
Photo Credit: Rocket
Informed Communities
By informing and educating festival attendees about beneficial behaviours, our goal is to significantly reduce the damaging behaviours contributing to major event impacts. Festivals serve as a proven platform for fostering environmentally responsible behaviours among all attendees. Furthermore, since festivals are often situated in rural communities, they offer a unique opportunity to educate and engage these communities.
Photo Credit: Rocket
Everlasting Impact
Our educational programs not only aim to improve behaviours during the event but also strive to inspire attendees to maintain these practices at home. Simultaneously, our land regeneration techniques seek to leave a lasting positive impact, fostering increased land health, native vegetation, and sustainable land use practices long after the event concludes.
Photo Credit: Springbark Planting
Support for Researchers
Our field data collection will contribute to scientific research in psychology and environmental studies on the population dynamics of diverse habitats, flora, and fauna across the country
How We Get There
Stakeholder Involvement
We don't just work with organisers; we collaborate with traditional owners, landowners, local community groups, scientists, councils, and governments, creating a holistic approach that resonates across all facets.
Photo Credit: Reelpix
Teaming Up with Experts
Through collaboration with experts specialising in local biodiversity, soil health, farming practices, and sustainable land management, we can provide landowners and festival organisers with effective and practical advice on mitigating their impact and enhancing land quality, all while still achieving their individual goals.
Biodiversity Assessments
Protecting the natural values unique to each site is essential for ensuring event sustainability. Conducting biodiversity surveys before, during, and after the event will identify significant natural values which will be used in education material. Subsequently, surveys will focus on a species of importance to the event's location, observing changes in activity over a three-week duration. This data will provide valuable insights for scientific research and enhance our understanding of the local ecosystem
Embracing Psychology
At Earth Relationships, our aim is to establish the most effective teaching methods, ensuring a lasting impact on the behaviors of festival communities and landowners. To achieve this, we integrate various psychological approaches and learning techniques. These are specifically designed to empower individuals effectively, enabling them to make informed decisions and engage in improved behaviors
Educational Interactive Point
During events, an informative stall, will be a vibrant hub providing attendees with a variety of educational materials, either free, affordably priced, or available for donation. Offerings will encompass:
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Insights into the surrounding species composition and habitats identified in biodiversity surveys.
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Practical advice booklets on mitigating impactful behaviours, including excess food waste and camping equipment waste.
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A diverse collection of materials showcasing local knowledge, sourced in collaboration with traditional owners and local community and conservation groups.
Photo Credit: Reelpix
Nature Signs and Guided Tours
Art is renowned for its effectiveness in communicating scientific processes to the public. With this in mind, we will collaborate with artists to craft educational signs strategically placed throughout the festival. Personalised insights into key sites are offered through guided ecotours. For those seeking a self-paced, in-depth exploration, audio tours with accompanying maps can be accessed at the stall.
Developmental Workshops
While we strive to minimise the event's impact, some temporary local disturbance is inevitable. Attendees can leave incentives to the local environment by participating in workshops focused on bush regeneration and habitat restoration, including activities such as native planting and nest box building.
Behavioural Patterns Research
To observe and monitor the behaviour and values of festival attendees over time, psychology surveys will be carried out within the festival community throughout the study period. Our team will also seize this opportunity to interact informally with the festival community, reinforcing educational information and promoting beneficial behaviours.
How It Began
Oh Hiiii..., I'm Katelyn, the founder of Earth Relationships, and I'm thrilled to introduce this project to you. Earth Relationships started its journey back in 2019 during one of my first festival builds where all my years of study and volunteering came together like a beautiful web. With a background in Marine and Environmental Science, I’ve conducted comprehensive field surveys on various mammal, amphibian, fish, and crustacean species, including a role as the aerial spotter for the shark helicopter patrols. These experiences luckily aligned with my other passion: volunteering at music festivals.
Having personally attended over 150 festivals since 2005, these events have changed my life, leading me from volunteering in 2009 to becoming a member of the build crew in 2018. Over this time, I have grown convinced that integrating environmental science into festivals holds the potential to cultivate lasting positive change with far-reaching impacts throughout society.
The Future...
This project is an intricate tapestry of possibilities and positive change for festivals and rural communities. In my heart, I hold a steadfast belief that this endeavor will bring about lasting transformation. Yet, I'm aware of the limits – relying on personal funds and a small group of volunteers.
To propel this vision into reality, your support is crucial. Funding is the key to obtaining ethical permits and government approvals for scientifically robust surveys, along with the essential equipment. Every contribution matters, and I've created a detailed GoFund page outlining the specifics.
By backing this initiative, you're not just investing in surveys; you're investing in a future where festivals and rural areas thrive sustainably. Together, we can turn aspirations into action.
Once established, this project opens doors for grants that will further enrich the event industry and contribute to land regeneration.
Be a part of this incredible journey. Your donation today is a powerful step towards creating a positive and lasting impact on festivals and rural communities. Join us in making a real difference.
Our Partners
