Sustainability at
Tasmania’s Taste of Summer
Our Impact
A great summer should leave behind good memories, not an unnecessary footprint. Tasmania’s Taste of Summer brings thousands of people together on Hobart’s waterfront each summer, and with an event of our size comes a responsibility to think carefully about the impact we have on our environment, our community and the place we call home. We know there is always more to do. Each year, we’re looking for practical ways to reduce our environmental impact, improve the way the festival operates and use the Taste as a platform to support the Tasmanian community.
Less waste, better systems
Reducing the amount of waste generated by the Taste (and the amount that ultimately ends up in landfill) is an ongoing priority. We’ve streamlined waste disposal for patrons and stallholders across the festival and invested in additional Clean Team resources to better sort co-mingled waste and reduce contamination. We’ve also introduced digital accreditation, reducing the need for plastic accreditation materials across our event workforce. Recently, we trialled a full-service restaurant experience using reusable crockery and glassware, giving us another opportunity to understand how reusable service models can work within a major festival environment. These changes are part of a much bigger journey. We’ll continue to review what works, what can be improved and where we can make meaningful changes each year.
Towards a lower-impact Taste
Our long term ambition is simple: continue reducing the environmental impact of Tasmania’s Taste of Summer and work towards a festival with zero impact on the environment. Our next focus is improving the way we collect and understand our environmental data as we work towards TERC accreditation. Better data will allow us to establish clearer benchmarks, identify where our greatest impacts occur and make more informed decisions about where we focus next. Rather than treating sustainability as a one-off initiative, we see it as an ongoing process… measure, learn, improve and keep going.
Community Day
Taste has always been about more than what’s on the plate. Community Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the people and organisations that make Tasmania what it is and create an inclusive festival experience that brings our community together. It’s one of the ways we can use the reach of the Taste to shine a light on local organisations, encourage connection and make sure our festival gives something back to the community that supports it.
Supporting our community
Our impact isn’t only environmental. Through our partnership with Speak Up! Stay ChatTY and SEED, we’re proud to use Taste as a platform to support organisations doing important work within our community. These partnerships help connect the thousands of people who visit the Taste with important conversations, initiatives and organisations beyond the festival itself.
Still more to do
We’re proud of the progress we’re making, but we’re not pretending the job is finished.
Tasmania’s Taste of Summer is an evolving festival and our approach to sustainability and positive impact will evolve with it. We’ll continue looking for better systems, stronger partnerships and practical changes that can reduce our footprint and increase the positive contribution we make to Tasmania. Small changes add up and every summer gives us another opportunity to do better.