In this second part of the Eco Letter to the Boomers we share some more facts about our environmental initiatives.
It was an edition where we expanded our efforts to include more areas than ever and we were thrilled with the welcome that the Boomer community gave us. Obrigado!
MORE FACTS ABOUTS SOIL, GARDENS & REFORESTATION
Over Autumn and Winter, we planted +20 ha with 13 species to benefit animals and improve soil quality.
Our biodiverse rain-fed grassland enhances the ecosystem, contributing to a more stable soil composition, water retention,soil conservation,increased biodiversity and capture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
70 new trees were planted this edition. Since 2015 we have planted and taken care of more than 1.000 new trees.
120 individual shrubs were planted during this edition.
We introduced the calculation of the climate impact of food choices. We used a tool developed by scientists in Sweden.
Based on the life cycle analysis of food products this is an ISO14040 certified method for calculating CO₂e emissions and other environmental impacts which arise during the production and distribution of a product.
Food vendors filled out a questionnaire with the tool to assess their menus and the results of the impact of each meal category served are in the table below.
ALL MATERIALS MEASURED
We introduced the Material Flow Analysis method: a quantitative analytical approach to assess flows and stocks of materials to calculate their impact at Boom. The categories were:
Energy
Drinks
Infrastructure/ Decor
Consumption Materials
Food
Image Caption:
Inputs: all products (bought or reused) at Boom 2023. Their total production emission value is 1103,4 T CO2e.
Outputs: all materials after use at Boom, which may come as waste for recycling (ex. aluminum cans and bottles), as non-recyclable items, as materials to be saved for reuse in the next editions (ex. wood) or as emitted from combustion (generators) and digestion (people).
Processing: the exact impact of the outputs is linked to how they are processed: some are not transformed and can be reused again - remaining in use (ex. electronics); others are lost and thus emitted (ex. diesel and residual waste); and certain outputs are transformed through recycling to keep a good portion of the material in flow for further use (ex. organic waste that is composted) - however another part is emitted during this process (ex. as composting and recycling can be seen as new production steps).
This means that while the total emission resulting from the production of materials used to make Boom 2023 was 1103,4 T, not all is lost. Of this, 819,5 T CO2e is associated with materials that are still in cycle - either being reused, recycled or composted. 268,6 T was emitted through combustion, recycling or downcycling.
SPACESHIP EARTH: A NEW AREA PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
A new environmental workshop area and showcase for Boomland's eco technologies was created: Spaceship Earth.
We hosted 33 workshops to share environmental innovations on the themes shown in the images above.
3 FACTS ABOUT BOOM BIKE VILLAGE
65 Boomcyclists covered a total of 52,199 km by bicycle.
More than 2 T of recycled materials were used for the construction, design and decoration of the Bike Village.
More than 535 bicycles were serviced at the Bike Village, ensuring their ongoing function and extending their lifespan.
3 EXAMPLES OF REUSE OF CAMPING MATERIALS
1. Upcycling Tents: 94 camping tents weighing 430 kg in total were recycled. Our Portuguese eco start-up partners, Pacha, collected the leftover materials to be upcycled into outdoor apparel, such as raincoats made of waterproof tent canvas and the fluffy interiors of sleeping bags.
2. Cardboard Tents: We collaborated with organic farmers from Fundão, who collected the cardboard for use as a soil cover. The flattened cardboard serves as an effective weed control method between crops and helps the soil to retain more water and organic matter, in turn increasing the soil's biodiversity and fertility.
3. Cardboard Village cardboard: made without ink and with a good thickness, our cardboard is ideal for use by local organic farmers instead of being recycled, thus making it an even more sustainable choice.
And, as a farewell, this statue symbolises the Radical Love theme: using materials that have a long lifecycle, gathering local stones and creating a space for contemplating art in nature on the sacred Boomland.
Our next Letter will be about our Inclusion and Social Awareness projects - stay tuned.
All these projects are done with your support. Thank you for being a Boomer.
