Tackling climate change: Green events in Kingston
Greening Kingston Carnival 2025
This year's Kingston Carnival was a huge success, with hundreds of people coming together to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The Town Centre was alive with vibrant music, incredible dance, and delicious food, but this year's event had an extra special twist: it was the greenest carnival Kingston has ever seen.
This remarkable achievement was the result of collaboration between carnival organisers, council staff, and community partners. John Azah from Kingston Race and Equalities Council (KREC) and his team partnered with the council's Climate Action Team, Waste Team, and the SunrayRecycle community group to make some significant changes.
A major highlight was the full electrification of the procession trucks. Thanks to a generous, free contribution from one of the council’s contractors, Volkers Highways, these trucks were 100% electric for the first time. The sound systems on the trucks were also powered by batteries instead of noisy, polluting diesel generators. These changes helped cut climate-changing emissions and improve air quality throughout the carnival route. The community even chipped in to help fund the electrification, showing just how much this initiative meant to everyone.
The commitment to sustainability didn't stop there. A team of 14 volunteer waste marshals worked tirelessly, managing seven dedicated recycling stations around the town centre. They engaged with the public, ensuring waste was properly separated. Their efforts paid off, with an impressive haul of 300 kg of mixed recycling, 60 kg of food waste, and 20 kg of paper and card - all of which was sent for recycling.
Stallholders were also asked to use sustainable, compostable packaging to minimise plastic and waste. Even the procession trucks were decorated by local volunteers using sustainable materials that can be reused for years to come.
Looking Ahead
While this year's carnival was a massive step forward, the journey isn't over. The next challenge is to fully electrify the stalls - there currently isn’t the capacity to support all the stalls, and significant upgrades would be very expensive. So the Climate Action Team has their thinking-caps on!
Despite this hurdle, the success of this year's event proves what's possible when we all work together. A massive thank you to everyone involved for making the 25th Kingston Carnival the greenest one yet!
If you would like some advice about how you can make your own event as environmentally friendly as possible, please contact our Climate Action Team: climate@kingston.gov.uk.