A Greener Festival (AGF) and Falmouth University have created a course to help push sustainability in the events industry and enable students to take on environmental assessments of events around the world. 

The two-week intensive course which can be done in person or online is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge of the environmental operations at events. It will also enable those who pass to undertake and carry out environmental assessments for a wide range of different indoor and outdoor events on behalf of AGF. 

Events, festivals, and venues look to AGF to provide trained assessors that are able to assess their activities and offer recommendations on how they can make their events greener.

This certification lasts for a period of three years, after which students will need to renew their training.

On the course, students will learn and understand the key operational issues of events which create an impact on the environment, developing  the knowledge and skills needed to undertake environmental assessments. Additionally, the course is Stage 1 to gain the knowledge and skills to become A Greener Festival Assessor, able to undertake environmental assessment of events, festivals and venues worldwide on their behalf.

This course is designed to train auditors to complete assessments at events, festivals and venues on behalf of the AGF certifications, such as “A Greener Festival Award”.

The training is also relevant for those who want to work in event sustainability or improve understanding, including event organisers, local authorities, suppliers, academics and researchers.

Em Weirdigan, director of Green Gathering, who has completed the training, said of the course: “The AGF training was great, very worthwhile on a number of levels. The trainers are dedicated, knowledgeable and enthusiastic; the information imparted is useful and interesting; and there were valuable opportunities to make contact with like-minded passionate people involved in festivals and sustainability. It’d be great if all festival organisers did this training!”