Joseph T Oliver

"Engaging young people in sustainable development is fundamental and the entertainment industry is an ideal avenue if you know your market"

Bash Creations was born with the ‘World’s First Carbon Neutral Student Gig’ for student charity Nightline London and Joe has produced a green event every two weeks since. As a young social entrepreneur Joe is up to the challenge that a city like London presents, with an infinite number of live events occurring every week.

Joe wants to prove that top quality entertainment can be sustainable and to do that he’s going to champion the building of the world’s first sustainable nightclub and entertainment venue.

When Joe launched Bash Creations, an eco-entertainment movement, specialising in events and art exhibitions, in January 2007, it was the first of its kind in the UK. And he’s been busy. Since setting up Bash Creations, Joe has co-founded another eco-events company, Resolution, bringing together representatives from a number of established companies including: The Sustainable Development Foundation, imagine if, and The Ethical Fashion Forum. Resolution generates support and publicity for sustainable events and maximises the eco-friendly potential of the entertainment business. Recently, Joe was also appointed project manager for building the UK’s first completely green members’ bar on the South Bank for members of The-Hub, a pioneering social entrepreneurs organisation. "It’s an ideal situation, I have a job that brings together my two passions, creativity and my ethical stance, not many people are able to say that."

Joe also advises organisations and events teams on addressing the environmental impacts of their entertainment functions to ensure that sustainability is built into protocols and that there is a legacy from every event he’s involved in. His guidelines cover issues such as energy consumption, locally sourced products and services, travel and capacity building.

The entertainment business in London is huge and Bash Creations is still in its early days, but Joe hopes that the business can have a simultaneous impact on the music, fashion and art worlds. According to Joe the highlight of this work is seeing people changing their normal business practices. "Ultimately I want to set an example, to show that sustainability is feasible within such a sector and influence more organisers to take into consideration the environmental impact of their events from the outset. Bash has already shown that it is possible to provide an amazing sustainable night without losing any of the experience or fun that ultimately makes it pleasurable."

My commitment
"My commitment is to champion the development of the world’s first sustainable entertainment venue and to demonstrate that creative, cool, mainstream and non-mainstream events can work in a sustainable context. The sustainability brand can work and become a lifestyle choice and I hope to bring together the kind of partnership that can develop such a vision."