Dear anonymous activist -
First, allow me to thank you for your passion towards Planet Bluegrass and all that we do. It’s the passion you display within the text above that separates our Festivarians from the average concert and festival goers all across the world. The time it must have taken for you to express your thoughts is above and beyond what most organizations could even dream of having. For that, we thank you.
With that said, I will address each of your concerns below in an attempt to alleviate your seemingly inflated concerns over the “event” you’ve somehow heard about. Being a private event, I’m unclear as to how you even came to know the date, but I suppose we’ll leave that to one of the great mysteries of life.
First, let me assure you that the event in question is no different than any events held here at Planet Bluegrass. All events held here on the property are held to a very high standard towards being eco-friendly and as sustainable as current knowledge and understanding towards environmental impact allows. Of course, within that line of thinking, there are certain exceptions that must be made from time to time when dealing with thousands of people at our festivals…but I digress.
Please allow me to address your points one by one in relation to the “event” you seem so passionate about.
A Tent: Tents are utilized throughout our property all during the festival season. While you are correct in your accusation of the materials typically being made of vinyl or some other petroleum product, what you are discounting is the reusable aspect of these temporary structures. While I cannot discount the negative effects of petroleum based products. The tents, once made, are used for years and years for many hundreds, if not thousands, of events. Until a quality and sufficiently durable alternative is made readily available, we will be forced to use these tents when our existing structures are not sufficient to house the number of people needing accommodation or protection from harmful UV rays.
Temporary Flooring: As mentioned previously, we here at Planet Bluegrass are steadfast in keeping our property and events as environmentally friendly as possible. The flooring you refer to is, by our insistence, to be made of wood and not plastic. It has also been mandated by our grounds crews that it not be placed on the ground, but a raised surface so that the grass is not subject to a “suffocating deathmat” as you eloquently referred to it. We strive to keep the property as natural and beautiful as possible, and take all precautions available to us to protect the naturally occurring beauty of the grounds. In response to “why would you want to cover up the grass” I don’t really have a good answer. When someone appropriately secures the grounds for a private event they are able to do as they please to accommodate for their friends and family, assuming of course it’s cleared with our grounds keeper and meets our stringent requirements in terms of relative sustainability. Perhaps there will be many elderly that cannot walk on the uneven ground, maybe there is some symbolism, the reasoning is not for you or I to determine, but you can rest assured that we have taken all the appropriate precautions to ensure the safe passage of the temporary structure with little to no damage to our beloved property.
Portable Bathrooms: This particular point strikes me as unusual. Having stated yourself as someone who has come and enjoyed our events, you are surely aware that we use portable bathrooms to help facilitate the needs of the thousands of Festivarians who come and join us from time to time on our property. Our bathroom facilities are simply not big enough, nor do they have the appropriate sanitary requirements to accommodate the volume of people seen a couple of times a year. With that said, the event in question has not received special permission to rent or use portable bathrooms on the property. Our bathhouse facility is sufficient in it’s ability to provide all of the needs a private event happening on the property should need.
Why: In terms of the property, we have no intention of “completely change it into something that it is not.” We simply allow people to provide themselves with the accommodations that they see fit to successfully entertain their guests just so long as they are in line with our requirements. Some people need extra facilities beyond the naturally occurring beauty found here at Planet Bluegrass. As previously mentioned, it is not for you or I to decide what is and is not appropriate for their guests. It is our job to ensure that everything used during the event is as environmentally friendly as possible.
Money: There is little to be said about this point that hasn’t been said already. In fact, the nature of our organization was summed up by you as well as I ever could have: “… ability of Planet Bluegrass to earn money that in turn can be used to further promote the facility as an eco-friendly venue and help spread that word and their knowledge to people and other facilities throughout the country.”
The event in question will happen, though I hope you have come to realize that this event is nothing extraordinary. It is a one day event that has met our strict requirements in terms of eco-friendly requirements. I might add that all events held on the property are required to compost and recycle. There is no exception.
I hope that I have alleviated some of your concern and have helped you closer to the realization that we are not just “talking the talk” but doing our best to “walk the walk” and educate anyone that comes to Planet Bluegrass. It doesn’t matter if they are causal festival goers here for one hour, or a private party wishing to celebrate with friends and family for the day. We strive to show people the best way forward for our future and teach them that each one of us can make a difference in our planet’s future.
It should also be noted that we evaluate what does and does not work each and every fall to try and facilitate the most effective and educational means possible in spreading that message. Should you so choose, you are welcome to offer your thoughts in an appropriate manner for us to review in the upcoming off season.
We wish you the best in your future endeavors, and hope that you will use your passion towards a cause that is just and beneficial to human kind.
All our best,
The Folks on Planet Bluegrass.
