Roar past the Natura2000 area with a souped-up sprint cannon during the ELE Rally, while a free festival omits the power supply on the camping site in order to stay within the nitrogen standard. That seems a bit contradictory. Both events are two weeks apart in Wintelre and must ensure that nature is affected as little as possible. But what exactly?
Nowadays, anyone organizing an event always has to schedule an appointment for a nitrogen analysis. In short: how much of an impact will nature have on your event? If you hold a festival 20 kilometers from a Natura2000 area, it can still cause extra precipitation there. And since there are about 160 Natura2000 areas in the Netherlands, you will soon find yourself in such a zone.
Like in Wintelre, right next to the Kempenland nature reserve. Before they hold the annual Welons festival there, a nitrogen analysis is also required there. And the closer to the nature reserve, the stricter the rules are. Conclusion? The emissions remain neatly within limits, provided they do with one generator and a campsite without power supply. “We expect somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors, spread over three days,” explains organizer Rick van der Velden. “At least, if the weather is good.”
“We are a free festival, so for us it is mainly the costs of that nitrogen analysis”
That doesn’t sound very difficult for the free festival in Wintelre, but the problem is mainly in the arrangement on top of the usual organization. “We are a free festival, so for us it is mainly the costs of the nitrogen analysis,” adds Van der Velden. Hiring a recognized company is at the expense of the festival budget.
But how does that work for an event like the ELE Rally, which thunders through Wintelre a few weeks before the Welons festival? That is along that Natura2000 area, isn’t it? And besides: how does the inspectorate measure such an analysis, for a rally that, in addition to Wintelre, also rages through Veghel, Asten, Lierop, Sint Oedenrode and Son?
“That image of roaring diesel engines is no longer correct.”
Long story short: the ELE Rally, just like such a village festival, also has to take nitrogen emissions into account. Only the nitrogen emissions of the rally are not calculated for the entire event, but per special stage. “And that image of roaring diesel engines is no longer true,” says organizer Paul Palthe.
For example, the ELE Rally has invested in sustainability in recent years, for example by creating an electric rally. “I think there may be one or two diesel cars in total,” says Palthe. “In addition, our spectators are spread over 10 to 20 kilometers of terrain and we close roads around our circuit.”
With an average of 1000 spectators per rally, this does not result in a peak load. There are many dolls, but spread over a larger area. Palthe: “So our emissions were zero.”