From about May to September every year the country is dotted with a wide range of large and small festivals. These range from concerts to family events, but are they green festivals? The term green festivals is arguably a broad one encompassing events which try to reduce their impact on the environment. Few would want to do away with the fantastic range of events the UK has to offer, but thinking about how eco-friendly they are could help to reduce any negative impact they have.
All festivals will most likely cause some localised damage to the environment, which in itself should be minimised, but it is also important to look at the broader picture. There are so-called green festivals out there and perhaps others can learn from their example. Simple measures such as recycling facilities, avoiding water pollution and encouraging visitors to use public transport all make festivals greener and the A Greener Festival website has plenty of suggestions relating to traffic, noise, water and more.
A couple of the larger green festivals take place in Somerset. The Big Green Gathering is described as for “people who care about health, the environment, sustainability, our children’s future and life in general”. Sunrise Celebration is “the UK’s leading sustainable festival” and includes family events.
As well as looking at what the event organisers are doing to make their festivals greener, it is also worth thinking about the impact of the individual visitors. If you are travelling to an event this year think about car sharing or public transport and make sure you not only dispose of your waste correctly but that you recycle as much as possible.
