Welcome to the April edition of Synthesise. we’d like to give a special mention to our team member Luke Logemann, who has been kicking some serious goals, teaming up with international sustainability experts to create a new Responsible Merch Guide and website to help music businesses and artists produce merch more responsibly.
RAC Arena in Western Australia was recently awarded 4 out of 5 stars for its sustainability credentials, making it the biggest venue yet to achieve our Green Venue Certification. Also, in this month’s newsletter, we share a new resource hub for festivals, upcoming free events, and more - dig in and enjoy!
New Responsible Merch Guide 
Green Music Australia, REVERB, and The CSO Shop, in collaboration with Julie’s Bicycle, are excited to launch the Responsible Merch Guide – a practical guide to help answer your questions and make more informed choices.
From the t-shirt you bought at your first gig, to the hoodie you’ve worn for years, and the vinyl on your shelf – merch holds so many memories, but how it’s made has environmental and labor impacts.
What’s inside:
👉 A full educational guide
👉 Cheat sheets for Apparel & Physical Music
👉 Real-world case studies
👉 A live supplier directory
Whether you’re an artist, manager, merch team member, or a fan who cares about how merch is made, this guide helps unpack the choices behind the products we all love.
Green Venue Certification 
A huge congratulations to RAC Arena who have achieved a high score of 4 out of 5 stars under our Green Venue Certification program. RAC Arena is the first venue in Western Australia to be recognised in this initiative.
The program rewards music & arts venues who demonstrate a commitment towards environmental action and values. Venues are measured against a range of key selection criteria including energy, waste, water, food & drinks and procurement.
By certifying your venue, you can promote your environmental credentials – helping you to connect with likeminded artists, industry, and audiences.
Limited spots are available for live music venues in NSW to become certified. Reach out to Emma or reply to this email if you’re interested.
Party With The Planet Resource Hub - Now Live!
We've launched a new Party With The Planet website to house everything we’ve shared in our online Festival Sustainability Series, including: a supplier directory, webinar recordings, cheat sheets and articles. If you missed any sessions or want to dig deeper into a topic we've covered, it's all there. Use the password: pwtp2026 to access the resource hub.
Our latest webinar on how to fund sustainability initiatives, with Heidi Lenffer (FEAT.) and Olly Arkins (Australian Festival Association) is available to watch via the resource hub. We'll keep adding to the website as the 2026 series unfolds. If you want to join the Party With The Planet Alliance, fill out the EOI form here.
Upcoming Events
☀️ Solar Slice in Action: Funding Climate and Nature on Tour
📍 Online via Zoom
🗓️ Tue 21 Apr, 2pm - 3pm AEST
Join us for a focused info session on how to fund climate action using FEAT’s Solar Slice mechanism, and learn how to turn your shows into real climate impact. Hear from Oli Leimbach (Lime Cordiale), Heidi Lenffer (FEAT. Live), and Tim Shiel (Green Music Australia) on how Solar Slice works, and how you can apply it across to your next tour. For artists, teams & music lovers ready to create impact. Register for free here.
🌏 EMC and Mixmag Asia present Connect for Cause: An Online Earth Night Conversation on Climate Action
📍 Online via Zoom
🗓️ Thu 23 Apr 23, 6pm - 7:15pm AEST
Artists, community organisers and festival leaders from across Australia and Asia will come together to explore how electronic music communities can reduce environmental impact while strengthening culture from the ground up.
Speakers Include: Anna Lunoe (Artist), Halim Ardie (Club Conscious), Jane Slingo (EMC), Phuong Le (Wonderfruit), Vicky Keeler (Strawberry Fields), and facilitated by Shivani Sharma (EMC).
In support of Earth Night 2026, the event will be raising funds for: DJ’s for Climate Action and Green Music Australia. Register for free here.
🌻 Joy and Purpose in the Climate Polycrisis: A Creative Climate Gathering
📍 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Haymarket NSW
🗓 Sunday 19 April, 2–4pm
Are you an artist or climate activist wanting to connect with others?
Join facilitators Angharad Wynne-Jones and Lana Nguyen, who will share the work of Creative Climate and explore our responses and relationships to the climate polycrisis.
This workshop will collectively identify capacities and processes to take practical steps in our practices that support our responsibility to Care for Country. Grab your free ticket here.
Other News and Opportunities
🪱 On a recent visit to Gadigal/Sydney, we met up with Knox Street Bar who use street seating to compost their citrus and paper straws. These Cool Seats created by Michael Mobbs, host a healthy worm farm, planter boxes and a nice place to take a seat on, odour free too! We love that these seats localise solutions for bars and cafes to reduce their landfill, while providing great composting solutions.
🍃 We’re excited to announce this year’s participants in the Sound Country Artist Leadership Retreat – an immersive four-day program designed to equip some of Australia’s leading musicians with the networks and skills to help build a greener, safer future.
🏟️ Vision for Sustainable Events and Julie’s Bicycle published the third edition of the Show Must Go On Report, which presents a clear picture of current practices, impact benchmarks, and a Climate Transition Plan for the UK live events industry.
🍏 NSW EPA and TAFE NSW are offering a free online course on Food Waste Sustainability. Designed for hospitality workers, business owners, suppliers, educators and students who work with food in commercial, institutional or training environments. The course also introduces current NSW food waste reduction requirements.
🎵 Creative Australia’s Contemporary Music Touring Program supports national touring activity undertaken by Australian musicians performing original Australian contemporary music. Grants are available from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the number of tour venues or locations in regional or remote areas. Apply by Tue 2 June, 3pm AEST.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Green Music Australia! You can follow us on our socials below.
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | TikTok
If you’d like to help us grow our impact, you can sign up to volunteer, buy a t-shirt, or make a donation.
Green Music Australia is supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia and Music Australia, the NSW Government through Sound NSW, and the City of Sydney through their Innovation and Ideas Grant.
