Too little money?

Styrian sustainability initiative withers away

This is what the garbage bin often looks like after festivals

(Bild: APA/Harald Schneider)

Summertime is festival time. In many cases, this also means huge amounts of plastic waste. In Styria, there has been an initiative for sustainable celebrations since 2001 - but hardly anyone knows about it or uses it.

Styrians know how to party properly. Unfortunately, large and small events often involve a lot of plastic - be it plates, cups or packaging. "G'scheit feiern" is also the name of an initiative by the province of Styria that promotes green events. In concrete terms, this means: glass instead of plastic, washing up instead of throwing away, regional and seasonal products, traveling by public transport, bike or on foot. Those who adhere to these criteria can receive a maximum of 600 euros.

This is where the Greens' criticism of "G'scheit feiern" comes in: 600 euros is too little. The total budget available is only 60,000 euros per year. More money comes from the respective waste management associations, which support the purchase of dishwashers, for example.

If you want to qualify for "G'scheit feiern", you have to do without disposable products

(Bild: Wiesmeyer/Dworak)

An inquiry shows how many events were supported in the years 2021 to 2023: There are 170 in total, with individual districts or waste management associations missing out completely, such as Fürstenfeld, Leibnitz and Leoben. Only one event each took place in Judenburg and the Mürzverband, but 32 in Hartberg.

Comment from the office of the responsible provincial councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP): "In Styria, many events are implemented according to the GF criteria", but often no application is made within the framework of the funding scheme.

Putting the initiative on a new footing
The Greens want to raise this issue in the provincial parliament on Tuesday. "It is absurd that the bureaucratic effort is so high and the maximum funding amount is only 600 euros. That is nowhere near enough to motivate event organizers to act sustainably," says Green Party leader Sandra Krautwaschl, who wants a "comprehensive revision of the funding conditions".