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The Mariposa Folk Festival won the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario Award of Excellence for Sustainable Tourism at the association's 11th annual Ontario Tourism Summit Nov. 10.
Festival president Pam Carter was thrilled with the award, saying it is the culmination of a festival initiative that started in 2009.
"That was when we established a green team to identify environmentally sustainable event-management practices. In 2015, we had an 88% diversion rate," she said.
The Sustainable Tourism Award recognizes a business, individual or initiative that makes a viable and maintainable contribution to the practice and promotion of sustainable tourism in Ontario.
The festival's 2009 green initiative reached a new plateau in 2015, when it partnered with Ryerson University. Rachel Dodds, professor and director of the Hospitality and Tourism Research Institute at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson, conducted a research project funded by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment regarding environmentally sustainable recreation practices in the Lake Simcoe watershed.
"The Mariposa Folk Festival was recognized as a leader in green events in the Lake Simcoe watershed by the researchers, setting the standard for other organizations," Carter said.
One of the research outcomes was the establishment of a festival/event resource guide: A Guide to Green Festivals -- greenfestivals.ca. The website acknowledges Mariposa as a leader in the establishment of environmentally responsible practices.
"Mariposa Folk Festival is a great example of a festival making continuous efforts to reduce their ecological impact," the website states. "These greening efforts are made to ensure that the festival has a positive impact on the community. Mariposa Folk Festival has done great work becoming more sustainable, and they continue to strive to do a better job year after year. This festival is a definite success story."
