Feed Me Glow Sticks - the Glow Stick Initiative at Shambhala Music Festival

Every year, millions of people shake out their tents, drive endless hours into the middle of nowhere, in order to dance to the loudest music humans can physically handle. 
Amidst the magic that is soul-rocking bass and dancing crowds, glow sticks adorn the wrists, necks, glasses, and heck, we've seen entire suits made of glow sticks. 
What many do not realize is that the chemicals inside of plastic glow sticks, while deemed safe before cracking, are extremely hazardous toxins once activated, and even worse if exposed to prolonged sunlight.

Enter - Adam, founder of the Glow Stick Initiative. We connected over a shared passion of cleaning up the planet, specifically from the astonishingly toxic little bit of garbage that we know as glow sticks. So - Adam decided to do something about it! He created "glow stick monsters" created from recycled materials, which people 'feed' with glow sticks found during a festival. 

For the first time this year, Shambhala sponsored Adam's ticket to bring the Glow Stick Initiative to the farm! Thousands of glow sticks were collected in order to be cleaned and stored. Adam has a growing collection of glow sticks - currently there are no best practices for waste disposal, as there is little public awareness about the dangers of the chemicals inside.

That is what we are on a mission to change!

Help us by signing our petition here: LINK

Want to learn more? This is the paper that opened our eyes to just how toxic glow sticks are AFTER they are activated - this is part of the chemical waste stream that is less regulated. 

Luminescent Threat - Nature 2014