Eugene Riverfront Festival, Produced by REVERE Event Experience, Earns Highest Level of Certification by the Council for Responsible Sport


The Council for Responsible Sport has awarded The Eugene Riverfront Festival, produced by REVERE Event Experience of Hillsboro, Oregon, its highest level of certification for sustainability initiatives in the production of the Festival this past July.

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The non-profit Council rigorously reviews responsibly produced events, and awarded the Eugene Riverfront Festival, which ran concurrently with the World Athletics Championships, “Evergreen Certification” for the Festival’s social and environmental responsibility.

Tony Fisher, president of REVERE Event Experience, said REVERE and the City of Eugene shared the goal of achieving Evergreen certification from the outset of the project. “We worked in close collaboration with the City from the initial planning to the final implementation of the Festival to ensure it represented the values that the city’s residents hold dear: minimizing the environmental footprint of the event while maximizing its inclusivity to create a ten-day long destination for citizens to celebrate and participate in the excitement taking place in their community.”

The Council for Responsible Sport’s vision is to “embrace purpose through play,” by certifying sporting events that have made progress to reduce their environmental footprint and increase positive impacts on their local communities and society.  Council Board member Bridget Franek LeMay says the Festival was awarded 56 out of a maximum of 61 points in the certification process.  “Achievement at this level demands a high degree of commitment and attention to detail. The collaboration and innovation across all aspects of the event production was impressive and inspiring.” LeMay added that The Eugene Riverfront Festival is only the 21st event to receive Evergreen Certification.

Fisher points to a critical collaboration with Kilowatt One, a California-based company focused on designing and executing sustainability programs for live events, to devise and implement the myriad strategies that enabled the certification. “With the guidance of Kilowatt One, the Festival reduced waste by providing reusable dishware and compostable forks, knives, and spoons, collected food waste, and worked with local organizations to create a welcoming space for attendees to enjoy connection, conversation, and community building.”

Deveron Musgrave, acting Waste Prevention Manager with the City of Eugene, said, “We are excited to have achieved the goal of Evergreen Certification for this free, family friendly, community festival,” and she echoed Fisher’s sentiment that intentionality made it possible for the Festival to showcase the “community’s legacy of innovation around waste prevention.”