Ella is a sustainability specialist and currently works as Sustainability Coordinator for Green Man Festival. She leads the festival’s work to reduce its environmental impact, collaborating across departments to embed sustainability into daily operations and using data and research to drive improvements. Her work spans many areas, including: reducing emissions, improving procurement and coordinating sustainability assessments. Alongside this, Ella is also part of the Sustainable Futures Team at We The Curious, Bristol’s science centre. Her approach to sustainability is rooted in data and action, but equally is shaped by her belief that shared joy and connection are powerful tools to inspire positive change. Read her answers to our 20 Event Industry Green Leader Questions:

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

Pulling together Green Man’s internal sustainability report last year. It brought together three years’ worth of production data and the accumulation of wins. Seeing the progress so clearly laid out was a real milestone and showed how the work over several seasons had built up to something meaningful.

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

Nothing has gone horribly wrong, but hindsight always reveals areas that could have been better and what you should have prioritised more. I think the key is taking the learnings and moving forward.

3. What are you excited about implementing this year?

This year, I was excited to implement Green Man’s completely revamped recycling station system in line with new Welsh regulations.  We worked with a Swansea University circular economy group to set up and communicate it effectively, with pre-event comms, special signage and our amazing Recycling team. The results overall were great – we had a higher recycling rate and passed our Natural Resources Wales audit with flying colours.

4. Which environmental issue do you most care about?

Climate change – and everything it encompasses.

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

Furnishing my flat with vintage second-hand items. I’ve found some beautiful, high-quality things for great prices. They’ve been around for decades and have decades more life left in them. They make me very happy.

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

Newsletters are great (Vision for Sustainable Events, AGF, Access All Areas). LinkedIn is my favourite – you get the latest news, regulation changes, insights and innovations from others working in the space, all in one place. I have also been loving the BBC Radio 4 Rare Earth series.

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

Haim supporting Florence and the Machine, 2012.

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

I took a module on renewable energy development at uni – this opened the gate for me to all the other issues related to sustainability. Before I’d even graduated I knew I wanted a job that was part of the solution and not the problem.

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

Energy, transport, food – sorry I can’t pick one. Each has unique challenges but all have the biggest environmental impacts.

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

Supply chain decarbonisation, transport, and the availability and scalability of low carbon technologies.

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

Greenpeace’s The Big Plastic Count.

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

There’s no secret to this kind of work … but I think it’s important to find the right balance of measuring your impact and progress to have a decent evidence-base, whilst also spending your energy engaging the end-point decision-makers to drive change.

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

Although there is a long way to go, there is more focus on inclusivity in environmental work than ever before. Green Man took part in some research conducted by Attitude Is Everything, Julie’s Bicycle and A Greener Future looking at providing accessibility for disabled people and whether that was compatible with the festival’s environmental sustainability goals. Go check it out – “No Climate Action Without Us – the new sustainability toolkit”.

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

If you’re on Instagram, go follow Sam Bentley … he shares all the good social and environmental news from around the globe. A real help for combating feelings of climate-doom.

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

Don’t underestimate the power of presence and persistence. You won’t achieve everything all at once, but being in the right room and being consistent in reminding, persuading and working with those around you will yield results.

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

The first live day of my first Green Man. Experiencing the festival energy, after the weeks of preparation and being onsite – it was great to feel a part of making everything come together.

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

Sleep. I have a get as much as you need philosophy.

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

There’s a new stage coming to Einstein’s Garden for 2025 (Green Man’s science, health and environment engagement area) … I can’t wait to see what programme the team have got lined up!

19. Will we save the world?

Who knows, but we won’t if we don’t try.

20.  What would your sustainable super-power be?

To be able to make a sustainable and fair global renewable energy system – instantly replacing all fossil-fuels. Take that big oil & gas!

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