“Actions speak louder than words”: Comparing attendees’ green behaviour at home with their inclination to support green practices at arts festivals.

Abstract

This article serves as a follow-up on a 2017 publication within AJHTL, titled “Attendees’ attitude towards supporting green practices at two Afrikaans arts festivals”. In the previous article, a recommendation was made to conduct further research whereby attendees’ inclination to support green practices at festivals is compared to their actual green behaviour at home. Literature delivers evidence that correlations exist between various areas (home, work, community, industry) where green initiatives/ practices/ behaviour are implemented. More interestingly for purposes of this research, is that individuals’ green attitude and behaviour at home positively influences their green attitude and behaviour at work, public spaces and in their travelling. These correlations are therefore important to understand when greening initiatives and behaviour are investigated in theory and in practice. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore whether individuals’ green behaviour at home correlates with their inclination to support green practices at the events they attend (more specifically, arts festivals in South Africa). In doing so, further insight was be gained regarding attendees’ green awareness, attitude and actual behaviour at home, and how this behaviour influences their inclination to support the implementation of green practices at arts festivals. These results will hopefully and likely assist festival managers to make informed decisions as to which greening initiatives/practices should be implemented, not only because attendees ‘say’ they will support these practices, but because their actual green behaviour at home on a day-to-day basis is more indicative of their inclination to support green practices at these events they attend. This research contributes to the management and minimisation of negative environmental impacts caused by arts festivals.

Keywords

• Arts festivals
• festival attendees
• green practices
• green attitude and behaviour
• South Africa