Image above appears courtesy of Vivid Sydney.

Vivid Sydney is taking over Sydney Harbour with a festival of light, music and ideas, running now until 8 June. The annual event of includes Vivid LIVE, inviting the world’s leading artists and creatives to bring colour to the Opera House, including, most famously, its sails which are transformed into a unique canvas each year.

“Our mission is to inspire people through everything we do” Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron stated “[Vivid Sydney] showcases the most ambitious and innovative artists . . . We’ve taken a similarly ambitious approach with our sustainability initiatives and I am thrilled that this year Vivid LIVE will also be carbon neutral.”

For the 10 nights of Vivid LIVE, the Opera House will incorporate a variety of green initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of this event.

A few of the many environmental and social initiatives this year include the use of 100 percent green power from accredited renewable sources for all Vivid LIVE events, fuel efficient transport for all artists and surplus food from event catering being donated to food rescue charity OzHarvest. Efforts to reduce the Opera House’s environmental footprint include the upgrade of the lighting system, achieving a 75 percent reduction in energy use.

A total of 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide are expected to be offset during the event, with all carbon calculations and offsetting to be externally verified and reported via the Vivid LIVE website in compliance with National Carbon Offset Standard requirements. This is set to be the greenest year yet for Vivid LIVE, as it has successfully been made carbon neutral.

www.vividsydney.com