During his university years, Ridder began organizing underground raves in Amsterdam warehouses, responsible for building and operating the light shows. Over 12 years, these gatherings grew into large-scale music festivals hosting up to 30,000 visitors per day. His role has expanded to overseeing full technical production from concept to realisation, leading Chasing the Hihat’s sustainability strategy, and representing the organisation in the Green Deal Circular Festivals, a European collaboration of 50 festivals pioneering circular events. Read Ridder’s answers to our Q&A here:
1. What is the proudest sustainability achievement or moment of your career?
Using our festivals as a testing ground and collaborating with start-ups on new and exciting technologies that will make festivals, and hopefully the world, a greener and better place.
2. What was your worst ever sustainability-related decision, project or initiative and why?
At our multi-day festival Lago Lago we implemented a reusable plates and cutlery system, but I totally misjudged people’s morning routine. Because the festival and campsite share one terrain, visitors would grab breakfast and head back to their tents, and our loss rate skyrocketed.
3. What are you excited about implementing this year?
This year is an optimisation year for our multi-day festival. Over the past two years we’ve implemented some great improvements: expanding our local grid, using a grey-water treatment system to flush our toilets, and introducing a waste-separation system that sorts all the waste. This year we’re fine-tuning these systems to keep them working as intended with 30% visitor growth.
4. Which environmental issue do you most care about?
Everything’s interconnected, but watching the natural world suffer hits hardest.
5. What sustainable change have you made in your personal life that you are most proud of?
Seventeen years of electric car-sharing before finally buying a second-hand electric car.
6. What do you read, listen to or watch to stay in touch with green issues?
Every couple of months I stop by a bookshop and look for interesting new reads, I follow an RSS feed on new and upcoming technologies, and I go to conferences like ADE Green to catch talks and chat with people in the sustainability scene.
7. What is the most memorable live performance in your life?
Paul Kalkbrenner at MELT festival in Germany.
8. Was there a moment you committed to taking action on climate change?
There was no specific moment, it evolved from making a small impact in one specific area of our events to branching out across all facets of them.
9. What is the most important issue to tackle at your events?
Travel and Transport for our multiday festival.
10. What do you think is the most significant challenge for the events industry becoming more sustainable?
At the moment there are a lot of different systems in place, which makes it confusing for visitors when they come to a festival and need to figure out, for example, how to deal with rubbish. Harmonising these systems and communication on how to use these across events would be an important step forward, I think.
11. Can you share something sustainable from another artist or event or company that inspired you to make a change?
Glastonbury’s “Love the farm. Leave no trace” communication strategy. It inspired us to expand our house rules with extra elements on how visitors can protect and love the land.
12. What is the secret to your sustainable success?!
Start small and expand your knowledge and circle of influence step by step. Beyond that, having a team of colleagues who are open and willing to come along for the ride.
13. Tell us something you feel positive about right now that relates to the environment
Even though some governments around the world are trying to stall the green transition, it’s clear that the ball is rolling, and it will keep rolling whether they like it or not.
14. Tell us a book, film or recent article you feel others should watch/read and why about positive change?
Book: How to Fall in Love with the Future by Rob Hopkins. A great read on the power of imagination and the impact it could have on speeding up the transition to a greener future.
15. Can you give people new to sustainability in events a top tip?
There is a lot of great information out there these days on how to get started and what quick wins you can make on reducing your impact. For example, the A Greener Future or Your Europe websites. So just get started.
16. What is the favourite festival moment of your career?
Hard to pick one specifically, but the moment when the festival opens and, after all the hard work, you see people enjoying it, that still gives an amazing kick.
17. What habit or practice has helped you most in your personal journey in life?
Be persistent, humble, positive, and stay curious.
18. Is there anything new or exciting you are planning or changing for the future that you can tell us about?
I’m building two new tools that will hopefully help us get more accurate data on our power usage and festival grid, and improve our on-site water management, specifically the balance between fresh and grey water.
19. Will we save the world?
It will be a close call, but with everything I see happening and how quick certain elements are developing at the moment, I think we’ll make it in time.
20. What would your sustainable super-power be?
Giving everyone a peek into a potential future, the amazing world we could live in once we sort out the climate-related issues, and the benefits that solving them would bring to people and their wellbeing.
Follow Ridder on LinkedIn
This Q&A originally appeared in our April 2026 Vision for Sustainable Events newsletter. Sign up to receive monthly event sustainability news, case studies and guest blogs direct to your inbox.