Catalysing societal change through reimagining the cultural sector and creative industries

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Envisioning a future where Ireland’s cultural sector and creative industries operate in a restorative and regenerative way, Michael Soro and Megan Best brought Native Events to life in 2017 to provide sustainable solutions.

Redirecting the sustainability focus

Transitioning from working in the cross-section of art and sustainability, Kate O'Neill joined Native Events as a Communication Specialist to expand their reach and work with partners.

“We have the ethos that cultural events and activities can be a catalyst for societal change. We see a festival as a microcosmos for change since you have a group of people together doing things they would also do on an everyday basis – this is where you can intervene,” Kate explains their approach.

As part of its expansion, Native Events is now piloting an action-oriented online course that focuses on adopting practical steps towards sustainability in the arts and other industries.

The fear associated with change

Kate adds that sustainability and change can be scary to look at, and they need to be mindful of that in all their work.

Keeping it real and losing the jargon can also help. It is a great practice for her to use their garden at home as a “nature classroom” with her son, which gives her that everyday aspect besides enjoying spending time together outdoors.

“The perception is that embedding sustainability is expensive and requires huge changes. Instead, we show that this is doable and can be broken down into practical steps considering the timeline and budget,”

says Kate, highlighting that building trust is crucial in their work.

She explains that, especially with events, you can never be 100% accurate since many things can modify any predicted scenario.

“For instance, one of our flagship collaborations is the carbon management of the St Patrick’s Festival, which includes a lot of logistics and multistakeholder involvement. We use a framework that allows us to manage all available data besides setting up a baseline to get a sense of ‘normal’ and lay out a roadmap for changes.”

Walking the walk and talking the talk

Besides providing educational opportunities to others, the team is keen to constantly upskill and sharpen their knowledge.

As CEO of Native Events, Megan Best joined the very first MODOS course, which was more of a pilot, as she recalls.

“I thought I had a good sense of the circular economy. It was brilliant to find out how much I didn't know,” pointing out that it was an eye-opener for her to learn about new areas such as modular design or industrial symbiosis.

It further propelled them to build new connections and even enrol in another climate-focused accelerator programme for entrepreneurs, which they probably wouldn't have done without MODOS.

She adds: “All projects funded by the Arts Council need to implement sustainability initiatives as part of a new framework. We provide guidelines, organise seminars, peer-to-peer sessions, and offer tailored support to practically hold their hands to get them over the finish line.”

Brecken shares that it is exciting and motivating for her to work on diverse projects at Native Events so she can play her part in positively influencing people and sectors.