Italy’s most important jazz music festival, which has just started its 2021 edition (9/18 July),
fresh from having obtained the 2021 Sustainable Event Certification within ECOEVENTS 2021,
supported by the Perugia Provincial Administration, Agis and Italiafestival, organised a webinar open to operators.
The webinar’s aim is to hold a concrete discussion on the commitment to the eco-sustainability of Festivals and to relaunch,
at the end of the pandemic, the cultural and tourist life of Italy’s historic centres, an essential resource for the country.
Francesco Maria Perrotta, president of Italiafestival, emphasised the pivotal role of festivals:”the main outpost are the festivals.
They take place in special places such as archaeological sites, villages, municipalities that are off the beaten track in terms of national and international tourism
but which, thanks to festivals, have become protagonists again.
Festivals claim a role in this sector, festivals interpret cultural quality but play a role also in the field of respect for the environment and for small villages.
We will ask for an inter-ministerial round table on the tourism/culture binomial involving Ministry of Culture (MIC), the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Ecological Transition and Ministry of Economic Development MISE”.
Antonio Parente, Director General for Entertainment at the Ministry of Culture, echoes Perrotta’s proposal who suggested that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport should also be involved.
President Perrotta said that “Italiafestival has adhered to the Pact for sustainable and plastic-free festivals”.
“Festivals, places of aggregation, innovation and contamination, can be the protagonists of the growth of that eco-sustainable awareness which is indispensable to face the climate crisis in which we are all involved.
The time to act is now, networking and creating synergies through culture and music.
For these reasons, we, as event organisers, are committed to implement the indications contained in this Pact to make
festivals sustainable and plastic-free – concludes Perrotta -, with five concrete actions that we support and commit to implement to make our events low environmental and energy impact”.
Domenico Barbuto, director of Agis, focused on the role that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) must play.
“Unfortunately, we often see the NRRP as a solution, but it is actually a tool that must lead us towards possible solutions.
The role of the associations like Agis and Italiafestival in particular, is crucial.
Interaction must be continuous and effective, and there must be a real impact on planned investments.
Eco-sustainability is a guideline of the NRRP but you don’t need the NRRP to follow this path, the Ecoevents certification achieved by Umbria Jazz is an example.
The research carried out by Agis, Italiafestival, Umbria Jazz and Impresa Cultura Italia on the territorial effects, analysed what should be the expected effects of culture on the territories.”
Director Barbuto concludes and proposes “next year let’s meet to analyse the effects of Umbria Jazz in 2021”.
THE ECO-SUSTAINABILITY OF FESTIVALS AS A POST-PANDEMIC REVIVAL OF THE CULTURAL SECTOR
“We knew that 2021 would still present us with problems and difficulties. Only when the work of vaccinating the
population will be completed, we will perhaps be able to start a real return to normality – says Gianluca Laurenzi, president
of the Umbria Jazz Foundation.
Despite this, we wanted to plan the 2021 edition of Umbria Jazz and continue our efforts, as far as possible, to make it happen in the best possible way.
Today Umbria Jazz wants to be an example to be presented to the country, to the operators of the entire events sector, together with our friends from Legambiente, Ambiente e Salute, ItaliaFestival and Agis.
Improving the eco-sustainability of festivals, as well as cultural and sporting events in the broadest sense, is an opportunity for these activities and for the country
to establish a new relationship with the public that attends these events”.
The President of the Umbria Jazz Foundation continued his speech by addressing the Government, referring to the successful experience of the festival and reiterating that the NRRP
is a unique opportunity to be linked to the economic recovery of the country for an Ecology of Culture.
Laurenzi also states that there are no cultural activities that can revive the life of Italy’s historic centres and villages without a major investment in public policies.
Private intervention is fundamental and must grow, as must the ability of citizens to participate and the managerial capacity to manage these events, but without the investment of public resources
there are no high-level cultural activities that can drive and interpret a revival of vitality in these fundamental and delicate places of the Country’s life.
This is why the management of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which provides for significant specific actions in these fields, is a challenge that we cannot miss, as Government and as operators in the sector.
And this is why we have proposed to offer an initial opportunity for discussion at our Festival, which is a precious asset for Umbria and for our country”.
FULL VIDEO OF THE MEETING