Movement 08 going green

Recycling program introduced at festival

by Jim Miller, Publicity Works, Inc.

on 06/08/2008

Detroit, Thursday, May 1, 2008 – Paxahau, producers of Movement 08 – Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival introduces recycling program initiative creating a green festival experience.

“Music festivals, in general, can amass a significant amount of waste, and we felt it was the right time and necessary to create an efficient recycling model, not only for our festival, but for other Detroit events,” stated Jason Huvaere, Movement 08 director. “Everyone needs to do this.”

Paxahau Promotions Group has teamed up with Recycle Detroit, a non-profit organization founded by Detroiter Sarah Kubik; Omar S. George of Waste One Management in Clinton Township; and Great Lakes Recycling of Roseville to collect recyclable materials during the three-day Movement 08 festival, May 24-26, Memorial Day Weekend, at Detroit’s Hart Plaza.

The festival will have approximately 10 recycling tents, staffed with volunteers that will collect cans, bottles, and paper. Great Lakes Recycling, offering single stream capabilities, will store and process all the recyclable materials, and once separated, the recyclables will be transferred to a single location for further processing.

“What we are doing with the partnership of Paxahau with Recycle Detroit, Waste One Management, and Great Lakes Recycling is creating a greening template that can be duplicated by other events held in the City of Detroit,” added Sotiris (Sam) Fotias, Paxahau Promotions Group. “To add this recycling component the cost to Paxahau is surprisingly nominal. There is no reason why other event promoters and producers would not follow our lead.”

To create a Green program for Movement 08, Paxahau drew inspiration from the Detroit City Council Green Task Force that is chaired by City Council President Ken Cockrel, Jr., the Detroit City Council Environmental Justice Task Force, chaired by Councilmember JoAnn Watson; and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s Motor City Makeover program.

Paxahau continually upgrades the festival experience, from the artist line-up to the drastically enhanced sound systems as well as weatherproofed staging. Paxahau is also committed to improving the environmental impact of Movement 08 as well as future events held in Detroit’s Hart Plaza. Paxahau is planning to have a larger green push for 2009, and is considering the use of solar panels to power festival stages.

Since 1998 Paxahau has promoted electronic music and has grown to include a web archive, booking agency, record label and an event production company which produces an average of 12 events a year. With a network of alliances and resources that span the globe, Paxahau has emerged as a premier promotions group within the electronic music industry. Paxahau is committed to further establishing the Detroit Electronic Music Festival as North America’s most prominent electronic music venue, which will continue to be a foundation for the creative renaissance being led by electronic music artists everywhere. Please visit myspace.com/detroitmusicfest to find the latest news as it develops