Live music brings all sorts of things together: people, ideas, art, sound and more. And at the annual Outside Lands festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the bar is raised to include not only a wide range of top-name performers spanning three full days on multiple stages, but interactive and beautiful art installations and delicious local wine and food. In 2011, there were more than 50 traditional food vendors in addition to a dessert section called “Choco Lands” (which felt like a scene out of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”), five food trucks and close to 30 wineries that were pouring at the popular Wine Lands tent (which grows every year in both size and popularity). A large percentage of the wine (of course!) was from the North Bay.
If you’re looking for a way to connect with the millennial generation, Outside Lands is an excellent place to start. It’s created to entertain and inspire and is also one of the greenest festivals in existence—and has been since its inception in 2008.
In 2011, its total waste diversion (converting waste to compost, recycling and reusable materials) was 78 percent—its highest ever. This was achieved with the help of Clean Vibes, San Francisco Conservation Corps and the San Francisco Department of the Environment. It did this through marked disposal containers, “trash talkers” (volunteers who helped people figure out which bins their discarded items should go into) and a new “TRASHed Recycling Store,” where participants could trade in recyclable materials (bottles, cans, whatever) for merchandise—the more they brought, the better the reward (t-shirts, water bottles, festival tickets, signed posters, clothing and more).
Concertgoers were also encouraged to take public transportation, carpool, shuttle or bike to the event (there was even valet bicycle parking) as well as use refillable water bottles. Its Eco Lands area, entirely powered by alternative energy, featured a 100 percent solar-powered stage (its biggest yet), a multitude of educational opportunities and a section called Farm Lands where people could learn about urban gardening and shop a farmer’s market for local, organic produce. There was also a teeter-totter that generated electricity as well as several bicycles that were hooked to a generator that powered a snow cone machine (free cones for riders!). The bikes also powered a device by Growing Energy Labs, Inc. (GELI), which has the ability to store enough energy to power a home for eight hours. It was a fun way to educate people about alternative energy.
On Saturday morning before the festival (which ran Friday through Sunday), about 125 concertgoers participated in the Third Annual Ocean Beach Clean Up (sponsored by PG&E, Surfrider Foundation’s San Francisco Chapter and Save the Waves), with each person collecting a 30-gallon bag full of trash.
NorthBay biz spoke with the food vendors at the 2011 event about their sustainable efforts and their festival experience in general.
Christian Noto of Split Pea Seduction and Jersey Tomatoes, who works with Veritable Vegetables of San Francisco for its “farm to fork” produce (some of it originating from North Bay growers including Gabriel Farm and Gourmet Mushrooms, both from Graton, County Line Harvest between Petaluma and Pt. Reyes, and Valley End Farm in Rohnert Park), says, “The fact you even have this many food vendors at a festival is phenomenal. And Outside Lands’ greening efforts have always been good, but over time, the efficiency has noticeably improved.”
And the general feeling among food vendors was that of enthusiasm.
“Events are the best marketing for us,” says Charmin Mills of Pacific Catch in Corte Madera (pacificcatch.com; it’s been at the festival since the first year). “From the beginning, Outside Lands has been very conscious of recycling and using compostable paper products [all of its cups, plates and utensils are 100 percent compostable]. At the end of the event, we have to clean up every inch of grass and check out with someone before leaving.
“I’m amazed every year,” she continues. “We did another event that I’ll keep nameless, but the experience was entirely different. It showed me how much Outside Lands cares. And the camaraderie between the restaurant vendors is always great. It’s exactly what I think an event in Golden Gate Park should be—people helping each other out.”
“I think the festival has remained pretty consistent in terms of the type of crowd and the overall energy,” says Jacob Jaber, president and CFO of Philz Coffee, which has several Bay Area locations and will be opening in Sausalito soon. “This past year was the most fun because it was the busiest. We hope to return for the 2012 event.”
Jaber describes his product as “not coffee; a cup of love.” He says the company’s mission is to better people’s day. “That’s sustainability,” he adds. I couldn’t agree more.
Outside Lands takes place each August and transforms Golden Gate Park into a music, art, food, wine and people watching wonderland. So mark your calendar if you want to be part of it—in any way you choose. For more information, you can visit www.sfoutsidelands.com.
