Livvy Drake has worked across the event sector from catering and conferences to outdoor events and festivals. Following her environmental awakening witnessing a full solar eclipse, she knew she couldn’t ignore the wastefulness of the industry so she retrained in Sustainable Events and behavioural science. As a sustainability professional she has delivered initiatives at Shambala, audited events for A Greener Festival, trained event organisers with Julie’s Bicycle and developed industry guidance with Vision 2025. Through her consultancy, The Sustainable Sidekicks, she delivers sustainability and behaviour change services.

1. What is the proudest sustainability achievement or moment of your career?

I do a lot of behaviour change training and initiative development for events and non-event organisations. Seeing these in action makes me feel proud. For example at Cisco Live, I recommended that when the veterans t-shirt fund was being re-allocated for trees, the veterans should be able to ‘be the hero in the story’ and vote on how it was spent.  The winning vote was for forest protection and people asked for more initiatives like this, even though they had lost a collectors item (the t-shirt).

2. What was your worst ever sustainability-related decision, project or initiative and why? 

Putting on a community event without consulting the community on when they could attend. They all arrived in the last two hours as their children had been at Saturday school. Lesson learned… always think like your audience and understand their priorities and needs.

3. What are you excited about implementing this year?

I’m excited about the launch of a travel data gathering guide for onboard:earth and my second year supporting Junction 2 with their Net-Zero by 2025 ambitions.

4. Which environmental issue do you most care about?

Nature rewilding.

5. What sustainable change have you made in your personal life that you are most proud of?

I don’t fly in Europe.  In order to make the overland and sea journeys viable I plan my UK in-person work so I can go away for chunks of time (2-3 months) and work remotely.

6. What do you read, listen to or watch to stay in touch with green issues?

Podcasts and audible books about rewilding and nature recovery

7. What is the most memorable live performance in your life?

Prince (I saw him 5 times and every time was incredible)

8. Was there a moment you committed to taking action on climate change?

I saw a full solar eclipse, in Far North Queensland in 2013 and was in awe of Mother Nature. Right then I committed to support her and change my career.

9. What is the most important issue to tackle at your events?

Making it easy for stakeholders to adopt sustainable measures by removing the friction.

10. What do you think is the most significant challenge for the events industry becoming more sustainable?

Time poverty and only having an event once a year to get things right. In other sectors you can work iteratively on change.

11. Can you share something sustainable about/from another artist or event or company that inspired you to make a change?

I look to behavioural science trials for tools and techniques for delivering change. e.g. in littering trials the message: ‘1 out of 10 people litter’ increases littering but  ‘9 out of 10 use a bin’  decreases littering. The importance is focusing on the desirable behaviour. 

12. What is the secret to your sustainable success?!

Behavioural science. When I started at Shambala, we brought in a behavioural scientist, it was a huge a-ha moment.  I learned that trying to convince people to think like ‘eco-warrior’ me would not work. However, tapping into what drives human behaviour – habits, emotions, social connection is much more powerful.

13. Tell us something you feel positive about right now that relates to the environment

The introduction of pigs to the Knepp Rewilding Farm project brought back rare Purple Emperor butterflies because the pigs’ rootling stimulated the growth of a plant that the caterpillars fed on. 

14. Tell us a book, film or recent article you feel others should watch/read and why about positive change?

Wild Service by Nick Hayes. It’s about people taking on small-scale nature protection in their local area.  From a young girl who has created a butterfly haven in her garden to people who have talked to local farmers to change grass cutting to help ground nesting birds.  

15. Can you give people new to sustainability in events a top tip?

Don’t try and convince people to care like you do. Make sustainability easy for them and frame your communications around their priorities and values

16. What is the favourite festival moment of your career?

Seeing people in the crowd at Shambala 2015 proudly wearing their ‘Clean-up’ medals and carrying their ‘Camp Champ’ flags – part of a behavioral science initiative to clean up campsites.  

17. What habit or practice has helped you most in your personal journey in life?

I limit the amount of news and negative stimuli so I don’t feel overwhelmed, hopeless and helpless.  Sorry Guardian but you are out!

18. Is there anything new or exciting you are planning or changing for the future that you can tell us about?

I am doing a Rewilding course with Embercombe as I would like to support nature’s regeneration.

19. Will we save the world?

The question should be, will we save ourselves.… and the answer is…. I’m not sure but I’m going to do my bit.

20.  What would your sustainable super-power be?

System change stardust so human and nature wellbeing  are the priority.

Follow Livvy Drake on >> LinkedIn

This Q&A originally appeared in our March 2025 Vision for Sustainable Events newsletter. Sign up to receive monthly event sustainability news, case studies and guest blogs direct to your inbox.