Over the course of five years, ticketing platform Weeztix and Trees for All have planted 20,000 trees on behalf of festival-goers. Visitors of events were given the option to add a donation to their ticket purchase, contributing to tree planting and reforestation worldwide. Trees for All has planted the trees across multiple projects in the Netherlands and abroad.
Option to donate in the ticket shop
Five years ago, Weeztix added an optional donation feature to the ticket shops of a number of events. The aim was to give visitors an accessible, low-friction way to help make their event experience more sustainable. Thousands of visitors at events including Paaspop, Extrema Outdoor Belgium, Soenda, Solar and Verknipt Festival used the option, resulting in €100,000 being raised to plant new trees.
In the Netherlands, Trees for All is helping to expand rare loam forests in the Groene Woud in Brabant. The forest in the header photo is around four years old, while this one is one and a half years old.
Importance of trees at events
Trees for All planted half of these trees in the Netherlands and the other half across reforestation projects in Bolivia, Mexico, Indonesia and Vietnam. “Trees are essential for the climate, for nature and for people,” says Marieke Romano, Director of Trees for All. “You see this globally, but also close to home. Beyond producing oxygen and absorbing CO₂, trees provide shade and cooling, including on a hot festival day. And during heavy rainfall, they reduce the risk of flooding: a single tree can absorb hundreds of litres of water.”
Raising awareness
Through this initiative, Weeztix and Trees for All are demonstrating how the events industry can work with its audiences to make a tangible contribution to the natural world in a practical and accessible way. In early June, the partnership will be relaunched in a new format, with new activities aimed at helping the festival industry take more targeted steps towards sustainability. Marieke Romano: “Together, we want to reach even more visitors, raise awareness of why trees matter, and invite people to take a first green step in a way that feels easy and natural. Every tree makes a difference.”
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Any organisers interested in making their ticket sales more sustainable can activate the feature through the Weeztix dashboard.