Ekkoworld called 2019 the Year of Climate Awareness and big corporates and events are reflecting that in the scramble to put carbon emission reductions into their corporate strategies, or at the very least, into their corporate literature.Welcome on board Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, who announced this week their 2019 events program is 100% carbon-offset thanks to a new partnership with Australian energy retailer, Powershop. This announcement is on top of their earlier declaration to ban glitter and single use plastics from all Mardi Gras festivities from 2019. The festival’s three largest events, Fair Day, Party and the world famous Mardi Gras Parade - catering for a combined audience of over 600,000 - are now all carbon-offset, significantly reducing the festival’s carbon footprint.Mardi Gras joins other iconic Australian events who have already blazed trails in the areas of carbon neutrality. Melbourne Fashion Week*, (since 2018) and Melbourne Music Week (also since 2018) both achieved certification against the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS), making them national first movers in fashion and music events respectively.“SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LEADER IN THE ISSUES THAT MATTER THE MOST TO THE COMMUNITY SO GOING CARBON NEUTRAL WAS A NATURAL FIT. WE’RE SO PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO CARBON OFFSET OUR MAJOR EVENTS, WHICH ARE SOME OF THE LARGEST IN AUSTRALIA. WE HOPE THAT OTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN ARTS AND SPORT CAN LEARN FROM THE WORK WE’RE DOING WITH POWERSHOP” SAID MARDI GRAS ARTS CEO, TERESE CASU .The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras two week festival culminates with its iconic parade this Saturday 2 March. *Melbourne Fashion Week is on now and there are at least 3 eco fashion experiences worth a visit. Image: Courtney Act and Conchita Wurst in Sydney. (Jeffrey Feng Photography)