As part of the Spring 2008 SDSU Student Fee Referendum, voters approved an annual allocation of $225,000 to be put toward a major “green” festival event, but last month’s GreenFest ran a bill of about $280,000. The referendum increased Associated Students fees from $15 to $35 per semester to fund its programs.
The weeklong celebration titled “Sustain Your Sexiness” included an Earth Day festival and concert by musical artists Lupe Fiasco, Steve Aoki and DJ Skinnie at Viejas Arena, along with a keynote presentation by environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill and actress Daryl Hannah.
According to documents, the concert alone cost about $137,000, which is the total price of the contracts for Fiasco, Aoki and DJ Skinnie, plus Viejas Arena facility fees, labor and catering.
Hospitality riders, which are lists of requests to ensure a performer’s comfort on the day of the event, show that Fiasco’s request for an Xbox 360 with EA Sports, Fight Night Round 3, Street Fighter and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 games were shut down by A.S.
Alcohol was banned from Fiasco’s dressing room by his representatives but Aoki’s rider specified a preference for premium vodka such as Grey Goose.
The contracts for Green Lunch Bag Series and “In Conversation” keynote speakers Hill and Hannah amounted to a $15,000 expense. Hill is well known for spending two years of her life living in a thousand-year-old Redwood tree that she named “Luna” in a successful attempt to save it.
Hannah, a strict vegetarian, and Hill, a strict vegan, had very specific food requirements. Hill’s rider reads, “Please be sure that anyone who eats with Julia eats a vegetarian meal and that any group or school lunch, dinner, or reception planned is completely vegan with vegetarian options.” Also, the rider stipulated that no disposable paper plates, cups, napkins or plastic was to be used for any meal.
“Julia would rather have no reception at all than to have a reception where disposables are used,” it said.
According to Cultural Arts and Special Events Program Coordinator Jamie Lynn Cochran, Hill and Hannah’s demands are not unusual.
“It’s not out of the ordinary at all,” Cochran said. “It’s in line with what you’d expect from someone who is living a sustainable lifestyle.”
The secondhighest GreenFest budget expenditure was for administration costs. Compostable plates, cups and napkins cost $860. Viejas Arena production and entertainment, the photographer and videographer as well as the equipment rental cost $57,000.
The week consisted of workshops and speeches by professors from around the state and a small student production at Peterson Gym.
