Ultra Music Festival’s ‘Mission: Home’ Sustainability Program wins multiple event industry awards and earns accolades from respected environmental organizations. This one successfully executed 30 initiatives at the 22nd annual, sold-out festival which took place March 25 – 27 at Miami’s Bayfront Park.
The program focused on five objectives – Waste Reduction, Pollution Prevention, Nature Preservation, Community Engagement, and Climate Action – and has now received awards and verifications at the international, state, and local levels. Ultra’s commitment to ‘Mission: Home’s vision, “to expand the environmental consciousness of everyone our programs reach, positively shifting behavior both on and off festival grounds,” was evident in their previously released 2022 Sustainability Report.
The report highlighted several impressive achievements, including 128,000 pounds of waste diverted from landfill since the program’s inception and a new food and supply rescue program that resulted in over 22,000 pounds of resources being reutilized. This detailed tracking and reporting of the program’s impact led to Ultra being recognized this year, both within the events industry and by local and global environmental organizations, as a leader in sustainability among U.S. electronic music festivals and beyond.
“Our ‘Mission: Home’ program has become part of the fabric of our organization. I was thrilled to see it return with us this year and could not be more proud to be recognized as an industry leader in this space.”
Ultra’s Founder and CEO, Russell Faibisch
Ultra’s ‘Mission: Home’ received 1st place in Volunteer Program, 2nd Place in Education Program, and tied for 2nd Place in Sustainability Program, surpassed only by events that were fully focused on sustainability.
159 volunteers participated in various ‘Mission: Home’ activations in 2022, including supporting environmental organization-led educational experiences at Ultra’s Eco Village, and assisting Ultra’s waste management and recycling partner, Clean Vibes.
Over the past twenty-three years, Clean Vibes has diverted over 22 Million pounds of event waste from landfills. They also pride themselves on cleaning to the highest standards, including the removal of small micro-litters that pose a threat to the environment and wildlife. Together, Ultra and Clean Vibes have achieved 100% acceptance of recycling loads at local facilities since ‘Mission: Home’s inception in 2019.
Additionally, volunteers teamed up with the international non-profit organization Bye Bye Plastic Foundation, which facilitated multiple dance floor cleanups throughout the festival, a tradition Ultra started in ‘Mission: Home’s inaugural year. During these cleanups, attendees engage in personal responsibility for their spaces by assisting – and dancing with – volunteers while collecting litter. Many who participate are surprised with artist appearances and the gift of Ultra superhero capes.
Together, Best Beverage Catering and compliant food vendors have helped Ultra reduce an impressive 1.1 million plastics and 85% of single-use plastic types previously distributed, including cups, straws, plates, cutlery and many other food service wares. Additionally, volunteers surveyed the festival’s water refill stations, supplied by Event Water Solutions, which have eliminated over 400K plastic water bottles from entering the waste stream since 2019. Because of this, Ultra was invited to join Miami-Dade’s new county-wide ‘Plastic Free 305’ program and accompany County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava and other founding members at its inauguration.
