The Symbiosis crew spent ample time getting to know the history of the land and neighbors prior to the event, communicating a strong intention to respect the context in which the gathering would be taking place. The following initiatives were developed to support the local landowners:
1) Symbiosis 2006 Road Repair Fund,
2) Pre-Festival Permaculture Course with an emphasis on agroforestry and soil erosion projects to be implemented on the land,
3) Composting and Recycling Stations for the event,
4) Carbon Emissions Offsetting, and
5) Public Education & Outreach about efforts to green the festival and generate social awareness through the Ecogatherings booth, workshops, and speaker presentations.

This year, each car driving in to Symbiosis was requested to give a $5 donation to improve the condition of the local road. We raised $541.00 over the 4 day span in generous donations. This total was matched by Symbiosis Events, bringing the total to $1,082.00. This amount will be matched again(!) by the local landowners, for a total of $2,184.00 to be dedicated to improving the road and helping to balance our impact on this rural neighborhood.

In conjunction with Symbiosis Events, C-SOUL (now EcoGatherings) hosted the first permaculture intensive designed to serve the land before a festival. Participants of this four-day course learned a variety of permaculture principles, enhanced by lessons about the historical, social, and environmental context of the land, nature awareness, the power of story, natural building principles, myccoremediation, creating edible gardens, alternative energy, and designing innovative approaches to greening festivals. Hands-on components included an onsite agroforestry and soil errosion project. After the completion of the course, many of the participants went on to make significant, proactive, and creative contributions during the festival, from designing signage and workshops for the event to creating elaborate art pieces out of ecoboard and natural materials.

The EcoGatherings booth at SG06 yielded a total of $173 in tree planting and $167 in renewable energy credits to offset carbon emissions incurred by Symbiosis attendees. Carbonfund.org was chosen for its low price, at $5.50/ton, and price-matching package feature that offset roughly 512 attendee vehicles at the event. Atendees that may not have had the chance to offset their emissions at the event will have the opportunity to make donations post event at SymbiosisEvents.com. Mileage incurred by the production staff, artists, and volunteers will be offset by Symbiosis Events.

Low fuel consumption generators were used for the last time this year, amounting in a total of 650 gallons of fuel used. This is equivalent to 1.7 tons of carbon emissions, that will be offset by Symbiosis Events through Carbonfund.org. Into the future, Symbiosis Gathering aims to use primarily non-petroleum, renewable energy sources.

Promotional outreach for Symbiosis Gathering such as website and collateral, signage, and greeter stations emphasized that attendees take responsibility for their waste, understand the pack-it-in pack-it-out approach to trash, and use reusable items when possible. Composting collection sites were set up for attendees with a separate collection site for green compost generated by vendors. A centralized compost area was constructed and maintained onsite during the festival, to be tended and used post event by the landowners. Collection sites for recycling were also available onsite, to be delivered along with general waste to the Trash & Recycling Station 12 miles away.

Symbiosis Gathering's purchasing plan consisted of the greenest products available, including distributing tickets made of hemp/flax material with soy-based inks, using recycled post consumer, renewable, reuseable, and/or fsc certified content office supplies, tyvek wristbands, rechargeable batteries and LED spotlights.

All vendor products and food for SG06 were compostable, biodegradeable, reusable, culturally diverse, and/or using green practices in itheir business infrastructure.

Stages and decor were largely made with locally procured, recycled, reused, and/or renewable materials. New green building prototypes were featured, including an organic skeletal frame braided through with thin intertwining strips of recycled wood and an exquisite altar made completely out of reused waste components. The EcoGatherings booth and parts of the stage were constructed out of ecoboard donated from Skyside Studios, a certified and sustainable woodworking business in the bay area.

Educational Outreach on Nature Awareness, Permaculture Principles, Agroforestry, Natural Building, and efforts to green Symbiosis were carried out by participants of the Pre-Festival Permaculture course who also spearheaded the bulk of signage placed on the road to and inside the event. Spontaneous workshops at the EcoGatherings and Alternative Energy booths and ongoing speaker presentations held at the Porch Stage also educated attendees about environmental stewardship, social responsbility, and self- awareness. Symbiosisevents.com and EcoGatherings.com are online spaces where these aspects are also being addressed as an integral component of Symbiosis as a proactive approach to conscious living.