The award recognized Hillside's efforts over its 27-year history to keep its site, Guelph Lake Island in the Guelph Lake Conservation Area green, and to minimize the festival's impact on the environment and carbon footprint.
The Festival's organizers acknowledged the award and their commitment to the environment on their
website:
Hillside has always remained true to its roots,” comment Hillside organizers: “we wash all the dishes, we dig compost holes, blaze trails, encourage cycling, busing, the eating of local food, paperless promotion, vigorous waste management—we even built a green-roofed stage and a solar stage!
The website also noted that the award was "strange and yet gratifying" as the organizers of and volunteers at the Hillside Festival regarded their environmental efforts as 'business as usual, "We’ve always just put our heads down and gone ahead with our environmental work because of our vision... Our volunteers will be thrilled because they carry out so much of our vision.”
The
Guelph Tribune noted that the festival also won this award in 2008, the first year it was awarded by FEO.
This year Hillside also won the award for 'Best Program" and was listed among the "Top 100 Festivals in Ontario" according to the FEO
website.
