Pride goes green for 2009 event

Birmingham’s annual Pride event will see pink meet green after winning support from the Environment Agency. The Agency is joining forces with organisers to form a partnership, the first of its kind for Pride.
More than 70,000 people attend Birmingham’s annual Pride festival in the city’s Gay Village, which this year is being held on 23 and 24 May.
Lawrence Barton, festival director; said: “This support is a first for Pride and we are delighted to work alongside the Environment Agency as a social partner.
“It will give us both the opportunity to spread a green message to thousands of festival-goers, and marks our commitment in the village to go from pink to green.
“As businesses owners in Birmingham we want to sign up to doing our bit for climate change, and the partnership with the Environment Agency is the first step along the way. We look forward to working with them.” 
Pride organisers hope to use the partnership to reduce the environmental impact of the event and its carbon footprint.
Regional Director of the Environment Agency, Mark Sitton-Kent, said: “Not only can we use Pride to make positive environmental change, but we can also use this exciting partnership to demonstrate our full commitment to LGBT equality.
“We’re proud of our track record in the Midlands and we want to send out a clear message to our staff and customers alike – the Environment Agency is a diverse and inclusive organisation.”
More details can be found at www.birminghampride.com