Fair going green

Mar 10 2008 Evening Gazette

WHAT IS believed to be the world’s first green funfair, which operates from depots in Middlesbrough and North Yorkshire, launches this month.

Jason Moody, who runs family-owned JARM Amusements and Candyfloss Crazy, decided to turn around the ‘throw-away’ image of the traditional funfair while half way up a helter skelter.

Middlesbrough-born Moody said: “My nine-year-old daughter came in from school one day demanding an environmentally safer planet. I hoped I didn’t have to do it single-handed, but it came home to me when I was gloss painting a helter skelter in February - it should be too cold to do it at that time of year.”

With a few short weeks, the firm had come up with a raft of changes including microbial digesters for food waste, mobile recycling stations for aluminium cans and plastic and replacing consumables, such as coffee cups and candyfloss sticks with biodegradable alternatives.

“Nobody in the industry has done this before - they wouldn’t know what recycling was if you hit them over the head with a compost bin,” said Moody.

It follows a successful switch to Fairtrade products on their catering carts last year.

“Like most businesses who want to go green, it’s going to cost me a bit,” said Moody. “Recyclable coffee cups has added 10%, biodegradable bags for candyfloss are 400% more.”

But he’s hoping the cleaner, greener image will win him brownie points with corporate clients, including councils.

“We are hoping not only to do our bit for the planet, but also boost our business profile, especially with local councils,” he said.

“The next phase, which hopefully we will begin implementing around August, will see us focusing on reducing energy requirements.

“We have already begun to replace light bulbs on our stalls and rides with lower wattage options, for example when one of our existing 500 watt halogen floodlights fail it is replaced with either a 300 or 150 watt version depending on the application.

“However come August we will be looking at one particular attraction, our helter skelter, to see just how low we reduce its energy consumption by using LED lighting and possibly low energy fluorescent lights.

“Any lessens we learn from this will be used to help reduce energy consumption on other attractions.

“Ultimately, we would like to become carbon neutral and recycle 100% of our waste, but I don't really believe that this is achievable with current technology, although this should improve as everyone else begins to work towards the same objectives,” said Mr Moody.

The green funfairs will kick off with a private event for The Student Loans Company in Darlington at the end of this month.