2021 presents a unique opportunity to drive change and build a more sustainable future as ‘normal’ life returns. The events industry has a notorious reputation surrounding waste, and its wield of single-use plastics. Studies have found that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year.
Plastic can enter the ocean as large, identifiable items or as microplastics – pieces under five millimetres in length. Both pose a threat to marine life. Large pieces degrade over time to become microplastics, but never fully disappear.

Time for Change

In a bid to build back better and create a cleaner, greener industry, Identity is supporting the Eastbourne Spring Water Festival, celebrating the installation of water refilling stations in the town with a bid to encourage the use of refillable drinks bottles.

Eastbourne’s Spring Water Festival

Plastic Free Eastbourne is running their Spring Water Festival, taking place from 14th to 23rd May, hosting a wide range of events over the period including lifeguard demonstrations, seaweed searches and plastic surveys. The main aim of the event is to celebrate the refill stations along our seafront, Spring Water Way, which goes from Beachy Head Story to Sovereign Harbour. Visitors should top up their water bottles, take photos and post them on social media, tagging Plastic Free Eastbourne for inclusion in a competition to win prizes, including three £25 WHSmith gift vouchers. Identity has provided signs which will indicate where the refill stations are.

Identity is one of the pioneer Plastic Free Champions and is working strongly with the campaign with the ambition to create a carbon-neutral town by 2030.

Other events in the Festival include a big beach clean along our entire seafront, beach scientific studies, art exhibitions and a studio on the beach, water sports and a pilgrimage.

Oliver Sterno, who is the Community Leader for Plastic Free Eastbourne said “This is the first time we are holding this Spring Water Festival in Eastbourne. We are celebrating water and its importance to our town. We are in a drought zone and when we have a large increase in our summer tourist population, we need to become more aware of safeguarding this precious resource. This includes caring for the sea off our shore, ‘Eastbourne Underwater’, without which, Eastbourne would not exist as a seaside resort.”

For details of these events, along with how to take part, please visit Plastic Free Eastbourne.