FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Monday, May 13^th, 2024

Sacramento Pride announced a series of changes made to this year’s festival with the aim of making it the most environmentally friendly Pride celebration in the country. Held every year in cities across the country, Pride celebrations are a space where LGBTQIA+ people can find community and celebrate their identities. In Sacramento, Sacramento Pride brings in over 30,000 people from the region for one of the largest festivals in the city. With a festival this size that represents community, acceptance, progress, organizers also want to respect how we are celebrating to minimize the impact we have on our planet.

Environmental issues affect everyone worldwide, however disproportionately affects those who are socio-economically challenged, which include LGBTQIA+ people. The intersection of environmental justice and LGBTQIA+ issues is especially important for young LGBTQIA+ people who see climate change as one of the most important issues of their time. A recent survey^[1] of 10,000 youth across the globe found that “84% were at least moderately worried” about climate change. With this in mind, the planners of Sacramento Pride looked to radically change the environmental impact of the Pride festival to create a space that is both affirming of LGBTQIA+ people, and is sustainable with minimal impacts to the environment. A community member who had interest and feedback for prior Pride festivals, joined the Pride planning committee as a volunteer and decided to help initiate a waste management program. With the guidance of staff, and other volunteers, a plan was created that now the City of Sacramento has recognized as the template for all festivals in the city.

Some of the changes to this year’s festival include:

• • Reducing landfill waste by 50% this year by appropriately sorting and creating more signage, messaging, and awareness for attendees to take responsibility on how they dispose – between recyclable, organic, and landfill.

• • Booth exhibitors, food and beverage vendors, Center-led festival activations, and Pride March contingents have agreed to waste reduction and sustainability guidelines and the Pride Festival has created a “Planet Proud” certification awarded to booths and contingents who are upholding the guideline at the Sac Pride Event.

• • Sacramento Pride Festival is eliminating non-recyclable single-use plastics everywhere possible – including single use water bottles, food and beverage service ware, and ‘swag’ being distributed by exhibitors.

• • The festival will feature multiple complimentary water refill stations, and encourages guests to bring their empty reusable water containers or purchase an aluminum bottle at a beverage station.

• • Bins will have more visual identifiers, with signage and different color bags that are associated with that they are (blue recycle, green organic, black landfill)

• • Most importantly, this plan was initiated by a dedicated Pride committee volunteer, and worked alongside the committee & staff members to see it through.

Available for comment:

• • Luis Cortez: Chief Develop and External Affairs Officer

• • Collin Lourenco: Pride and Events Director

• • Alexis Sanchez: Deputy Chief Program Officer – Advocacy

[1] Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey, Hickman, et al. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00278-3/fulltext