Green Pilot Tours

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Iva Bittová and Vladimír Václavek - Green Pilot Tour

This tour was a collaboration between HA Concerts (Ghent, Belgium, EJN member), KAAP (Oostende, Belgium, EJN member), Stadtgarten (Cologne, Germany, EJN member), and T Ey Folkclub (Belsele, Belgium).

Tour Schedule
- 28–29/10/2023: Iva Bittová travelled by train to Ghent.
- 29/10–01/11: Workshops with Iva Bittová and children from Mais Quel Chanson.
- 01/11: Vladimír Václavek travelled by car to Ghent.
- 02/11:
--Tiny Tunes Green Pilot Concert: Iva Bittová x Mais Quel Chanson (HA Concerts, Ghent, Belgium).
-- Green Pilot Tour Concert: Iva Bittová x Vladimír Václavek (HA Concerts, Ghent, Belgium).
- 03/11: day off.
- 04/11: Green Pilot Tour Concert at T Ey Folkclub (Belsele, Belgium).
- 05/11: Green Pilot Tour Concert at KAAP (Oostende, Belgium).
- 06/11: Green Pilot Tour Concert at Stadtgarten (Cologne, Germany).

Sustainability in Practice
Four venues hosted performances by Iva Bittová and Vladimír Václavek, with all travel conducted sustainably to avoid air travel.

Iva Bittová travelled by train from Brno (via Vienna and Brussels) to Ghent. Vladimír Václavek drove by car, transporting instruments and amplifiers to eliminate the need for backline equipment and its associated transport. He also coordinated travel with Iva between tour venues.

HA Concerts organised a three-day workshop where Iva Bittová collaborated with the children of Mais Quel Chanson. Together, they created songs calling for a more sustainable world and crafted instruments from recycled materials. This programme was performed for a family audience, including parents and children.

Promoting the Green Pilot Tour
Each venue highlighted the concerts as part of the Green Pilot Tour, explaining its aims and incorporating the Green Pilot logo in their communications. HA Concerts shared photos of Iva’s train journeys on social media, and the Green Pilot Tour was promoted and documented on the websites and social media platforms of all partner organisations.

Challenges and Outcomes
The tour encountered some logistical challenges, which required flexibility and teamwork from all parties involved. Despite these minor obstacles, the overall tour was a great success.

Convincing artists to adopt more sustainable travel practices remains a challenge, as these journeys are often longer and more tiring. However, transparency with partners about the allocation of EJN funding was key. In this collaboration, the grant was primarily used to cover sustainable travel and accommodation costs, easing financial pressure and ensuring the musicians were adequately compensated.

The Iva Bittová and Vladimír Václavek Green Pilot Tour demonstrated that with careful planning and clear communication, sustainable touring is achievable and impactful.

Links
https://tey.be/programma/2023/11/04/iva-bittova-vladimir-vaclavek
https://stadtgarten.de/programm/iva-bittova-vladimir-vclavek-7130
https://www.kaap.be/toont/iva-bittova-vladimir-vaclavek-usacz
https://www.haconcerts.be/en/concertagenda/concerts/tiny-tunes-iva-bittova-en-mais-quelle-chanson-02-11-23
https://www.haconcerts.be/nl/concertagenda/concerten/iva-bittova-x-vladimir-vaclavek-bile-inferno-support-arra-di-allas-02-11-23

Case studies

​Organised by jazzahead! in collaboration with Knutpunkt and Semente Cultural Productions, this Green Pilot Tour was a landmark initiative that showcased sustainable touring practices while fostering cultural exchange.
The Ukrainian Institute successfully coordinated a Green Pilot Tour featuring Belgian musicians Ivan Paduart and Patrick Deltenre alongside Ukrainian musicians Igor Zakus and Yaroslav Boris.
The Dutch-Spanish band Alto for Two embarked on a successful Green Pilot Tour across Europe.