Capital Pride is Recommitting to Sustainability

Organizers and participants of Capital Pride are, together, taking concrete, achievable steps toward reducing and eliminating harmful environmental impacts from the events. This is an important step in laying the foundation for more impactful and incremental improvements over the coming years.

Goals:

• Go above reduce, reuse, and recycle to reevaluate our default decisions and adopt both mandatory and voluntary environmental requirements.
• Reduce consumption at the source by moderating event materials.
• Source products that will diminish Capital Pride’s environmental impacts and ensure we support vendors and suppliers that are LGBTQ inclusive.

Contingent and Vendor Requirements:

The following actions are mandatory for vendors and exhibitors at the festival:

• Distributing single-use plastic bags is prohibited.
• Distribution of polystyrene (Styrofoam™) products, plastic straws and stirs is prohibited. (District of Columbia requirement)
• Any packaging disposed of at the festival should be recyclable or compostable.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in a fine and/or removal from Capital Pride events.

Guidelines:

Vendors and exhibitors are encouraged to creatively and consciously make sustainable decisions for their booths.

Promotional Products: avoid distributing single-use plastic products like disposable water bottles, balloons and beads, or other individually wrapped items. Consider more creative branding items like reusable water bottles, reusable straws, plant seed packs, drink coasters, towels or sweatbands, eco-tube lip balm, etc.

Responsible Sourcing:

Vendors and participants should research the environmental and social practices of suppliers. Support capital regional businesses to reduce shipping impacts and keep economic benefits local.

Parade:

Throwables are items that parade floats toss to spectators. Historically, throwables have includes plastic beads, disposable water bottles, promotional pamphlets, etc.

Capital Pride discourages plastic beads and disposable water bottles as throwables. These plastic products have been shown to cause serious harm to marine ecosystems and have clogged DC street drains. While planning your organization’s parade contingent, be mindful of the environmental impacts of the materials you are using and distributing.

Capital Pride Initiatives:

Capital Pride appreciates your cooperation in helping us make Pride a more sustainable event. The Capital Pride Alliance recognizes recommitting to sustainability will require effort from all parties involved. This document provides guidance for participants, but here are a few initiatives Capital Pride is undertaking in 2019 and hope to expand on in the future.

• Securing Renewables Energy Credits (RECs) to support renewable energy and offset the entirety of Capital Pride’s electric use with renewables.
• Engage the community through sustainability education initiatives, promoting sustainability efforts, and encouraging participation from environmental groups.
• Increased consultation with the DC Department of Energy and Environment.
• Composting pilot program.
• Waste and energy-use benchmarking.

Questions or comments?

Contact Curtis Walter, Executive Producer, Sustainability at Capital Pride at [email protected].

Individual efforts while attending Pride Events

Transportation:

Visitors are encouraged to avoid driving to Pride events. Due to crowds and limited parking, if able, participants should walk or take public transportation to the festival. Reducing car trips will help reduce the event’s carbon footprint. Visit WMATA.com to plan your trip.

Reuse and recycle:

Refillable water bottles: 

Look for the huge blue tubs! The “Water Daddy”, the Pride alternative to bottled water will be available at the parade and festival. Fill up your own water bottle and cut-down on plastic waste.

Washington, DC Vision:

The District of Columbia does not permit the sale or distribution of polystyrene (Styrofoam™) food service products, plastics straws or stirs. Alternatives should be compostable. More information about alternatives and the city’s guidelines for disposal can be found on the Mayor’s List of Recyclables and Compostables.

The District of Columbia has a goal of reducing plastic waste by 80% by 2032—Capital Pride and participants have an obligation to support the city in this effort. For more information on the city’s sustainability initiative, visit the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE).

Capital Pride partners with Arcadia Power to secure renewable energy

Arcadia Power to retire RECs to match Capital Pride Weekend’s energy-use with wind power as part of new sustainability push

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2019—Capital Pride Alliance is partnering with local clean energy technology company Arcadia Power, to secure clean energy for all CPA events held on Pride Weekend, including the parade and festival. This partnership is an important part of Capital Pride’s effort to recommit to sustainability in 2019.

Arcadia Power agreed to retire 75,000-kilowatt hours (kWh) worth of wind renewable energy credits (RECs), equal to Capital Pride’s estimated energy-use on June 8-9, 2019. The RECs will ensure power consumed by Capital Pride events will be matched by 100 percent clean, zero-carbon energy. The RECs were purchased from the Juniper Wind Farm wind farm in Texas.

“At Arcadia Power, we believe in equality and are proud supporters of the LGBTQ community through partnerships and employee initiatives,” said Kiran Bhatraju, Arcadia Power CEO. “We’re thrilled to add Capital Pride to that list, making it one of the most sustainable Pride events in the country. The more organizations who can come together to spread the word about choosing clean energy, the easier it will be for all of us to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.”

“This partnership between Capital Pride and Arcadia Power is an exciting first step in our effort to recommit to sustainability,” said Curtis Walter, Executive Producer of Capital Pride’s Sustainability Initiative. “The LGBTQ+ community through Pride has the opportunity to be a leader on sustainability, which means rethinking how we power and carry out our events. Procuring energy from wind power and supporting renewables will help ensure Pride is part of an environmental solution.”

Capital Pride relaunched its Sustainability Initiative in February. The revitalized initiative will focus on Capital Pride laying a foundation to reduce the environmental impacts of its events and becoming a leader in environmental responsibility. The initiative’s efforts include procuring renewable energy through partners like Arcadia Power, reducing plastic waste, improving waste stream management, educating vendors and exhibitors, and earning community buy-in.

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Arcadia Power: Arcadia Power is a fast-growing technology company revolutionizing the utility industry by making clean energy an easy choice for everyone. The company’s nationwide service integrates with a customers current utility account to provide a modern energy experience that puts them, and the planet, first. Arcadia Power customers all over the country choose clean energy, save with solar power, lower their utility bills and track their impact every day. Founded in 2014, the company’s platform now integrates with more than 100 utilities in all 50 states and is used by more than 250,000 people. For more information, visit www.arcadiapower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Capital Pride Alliance: The Capital Pride Alliance, located in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its partners through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity throughout the year. Capital Pride produces each year Trans Pride and the Pride Celebration in the nation’s capital, one of the largest Pride events in the country, which includes the Pride Parade, Festival, and Concert, plus a variety of educational and community events throughout the year. Facebook (CapitalPrideDC), Twitter (CapitalPrideDC), YouTube, Instagram (@CapitalPrideDC).