Mutual Aid + SustainabilityOf the many projects and areas we work in on the day to day with respect to mutual aid and sustainability here are a few. We hope that these concepts and actions can act as a template to help establish these projects on a more widespread and consistent basis until they're implemented as a standard everywhere. We are always available to assist in establishing these in your city, venue, establishment, on tour, etc. Feel free to get in touch, we're happy to help!
It is paramount that we make safe and wholly reinforce our nonprofit institutions and mutual aid networks! Fundraising: Benefit ShowsAll SGC and Artifada events are benefits for local Portland orgs and nonprofits. Our events work to center those orgs and assist in creating another outlet to connect them directly with a wider community and create opportunities to introduce more people to their work and services.
Rx Fest was one giant benefit for multiple Portland based nonprofits including Outside In, P:ear, Planned Parenthood CW, Q Center, Right 2 Survive, NAACP and more. This is a form of direct action and immediate support in multiple aspects. Some aspects we implement in these events: Tabling: Creating space for nonprofits and orgs to table and provide literature, merch, etc, as well as consistent space within the venue to engage with community members. Speaking: We build into the show itself an opportunity for a representative of that org(s) to talk to the audience as a whole on stage, generally prior to the headliner's set. Marketing + Advertising: The beneficiary org(s) is centered in all marketing, graphics, etc, as well as tagged in social media posts. We also make a graphic that includes a brief explanation and synopsis of their services and work. Financial Assistance: Even a little bit can go a long way under capitalism and any amount of money you're able to raise for those orgs from the benefit absolutely helps. Sponsors: It's not always the case for every event but often we will approach like-minded local businesses to sponsor these events either with cash or goods. Cash goes toward covering expenses (venue rent, paying bands, etc) with anything over that included in the total sum paid to the org(s) and goods go toward hospitality for everyone. Hospitality MA: If there is any leftover hospitality from the event we distribute that directly to our houseless community. Mutual Aid: Connecting Local Orgs + Nonprofits With ArtistsYou don't have to specifically throw a benefit show to help local orgs and nonprofits! Mutual aid and direct action in this respect can be as simple as inviting your favorite org to come out and table at your show. The key in all of it is to assist in connecting community with services/support and vice versa.
You can also, as a consistent means of support, put out pamphlets, zines, literature, from those orgs at the merch table either locally or on tour if/when they're not able to come out and table. We have a spreadsheet including about two dozen Portland orgs with descriptions of the area of their work that we send to tours for each of our shows outside of SGC benefits and collaborate with those artists to select and invite orgs based on the artist's primary focus and passion in their activism. Mutual Aid: Reducing Food Waste In The Concert IndustryThe Bins Project is another area and means in our work to reduce food waste specifically in the concert industry. Often there is a lot of leftover hospitality in the dressing rooms that otherwise goes unclaimed and is often thrown away. We distribute bins to venues across Portland where they can save those leftover food items for us to pick up and then distribute either directly to our houseless community, the Free Fridge or to another mutual aid org to distribute. You can do this too! Feel free to get in touch if you would like to establish this in your venue/city. Currently in Portland we've activated the program at half a dozen venues across the city and the project continues to grow.
Sustainability: Reducing Single-Use Plastics In The Concert IndustrySingle use plastics are EVERYWHERE and it can be really difficult to find affordable means to curb their use in general but especially in the concert industry. With items like bottled water being so prevalent from dressing rooms, to stage, to the bus, it can be difficult to work outside of the current established norms. In our own sphere we work to rid venues as entirely as possible of those items and find sustainable and reusable methods to fulfill those needs. That comes in the form of sustainable and compostable packaging, water stations with refillable thermos' instead of bottles, fine tuning processes even down to things like Keurig's and the waste involved in their single use containers.
Jack Johnson has a lot of amazing initiatives and is one of the leading artists touring today who focuses on and promotes Green Touring, enacting programs like the All At Once Water Refill Stations in venues at all of his shows. More on his work via the links below. Jack Johnson - Greening Tour Info All At Once - Social Action Network Free Fridge PDXOnce we have the official Free Fridge PDX page up we'll link to it here.
Free Library PDXMore via the official Artifada page.
Free Wall PDXMore via the official Artifada page.
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"Quiet Riot" artwork by Michelle Ramin
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