The two-day Virgin music festival next weekend at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will feature performances by The Police, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the Beastie Boys, as well as some bettin’ on the ponies (!) — but organizers are also gambling on concert-goers to "green it like they mean it" as they plan for a "near-zero waste" event.
Certainly, the festival is not treading in virgin territory — the green music thing has been done. And perhaps, with the Sir Richard connection, the move is not entirely unexpected, either. But Virgin seems to be the first to corral a Hollywood name (however B-list she may be — actually, what list is Daryl Hannah on these days?) to serve as a green consultant.
Along with the usual composting, biodiesel, and carbon offsets, the Virgin Festival will also be constructing buildings and props from sustainable materials, encouraging mass transit use, and replacing almost all paper products with 100 percent recycled (read: non-virgin) alternatives. How appropriate.
