How British festivals are becoming a hotbed of eco-activism

Festivals, when theyre in full flow, are paragons of hedonism and fun.

You drink more beer and cider than you ever thought possible. You smoke more than you ever thought your lungs could handle. You spend three days in a constant cycle of dancing, singing, drinking, smoking, glitter-throwing in the middle of the glorious British countryside, before shuffling back home.

And after the partys finished, all thats left behind is a post-apocalyptic scene of environmental destruction.

At least, thats what used to happen.

It seems like more and more festivals are making themselves into hotbeds of eco-activism these days, taking responsibility for things like plastic pollution right from the start.

Its not before time; festivals are thought to produce around 23,000 tonnes of waste every year. And with that in mind, 61 independent music gatherings have signed a three-year pledge to get Drastic on Plastic.

When it comes to trash, it seems like its the one-day city festivals that have a long way to go; look at parks after events like Citadel, Lovebox or Wireless and its easy to see what the issue is.

But 2018 has seen a massive push to change the way we view and use plastic.

Theres even going to be a one-day vegan-friendly zero-waste festival happening at the end of this summer in the Cotswolds.

And for some festivals, its not enough to simply stop offering plastic straws and free cups.

Green Man, which takes place in Wales in mid-August, is ensuring that all its traders and face painters are going to use biodegradable glitter made from plant cellulose and metallised aluminium, in a bid to reduce micro-plastic pollution.

Were also asking all festival goers to only bring biodegradable glitter, organisers say. And Green MAn is also teaming up with Help Refugees and Newport to Calais Aid Collection, by donating any unwanted, unbroken camping equipment and food that people dont want to take home.

Bestival has a tonne of eco-initiatives this year and will be hosting Old Mouts Kiwi Camp 2018.

The New Zealand cider company is on a mission to save the endangered kiwi, as well as protect the environment on the whole. The Kiwi camp is asking Bestival-goers to add their thumbprint to its pledge wall; each print equals a 20p donation to the cause. Therell also be loads of crafts and activities centred around the beloved kiwi and the importance of recycling to earn kiwi patches – collect all and youll be in with a chance to win an Ultimate Kiwi Hero jacket – and who wouldnt want that?

Oh, and once youve done that, you can spend the afternoon grooving to the UKs most eco-friendly junk percussion band, Weapons of Sounds, and having a go at disco yoga.

Wilderness has an entire environmental policy document, outlining its commitment to the green cause.

With Friends of the Earth as their environmental charity partner, Wilderness has various measures in place to reduce waste, and the vast majority of their tents are made from natural materials like canvas or sustainable wood. Ocean Sole is also coming to Wilderness, who turn flip-flop pollution into art and functional products.

Oh, and theyre asking that smokers being their own ashtray boxes rather than dumping their butts on the floor (one butt is said to pollute up to two litres of water).

And while you might expect cool initiatives from these kinds of festivals, there are plenty of green efforts coming out of more mainstream events too.

Reading and Leeds have 14 green initiatives in place to keep their spaces clean and environmentally friendly. Theyre working with Julies Bicycle, a not-for-profit organisation working on sustainability within the creative industries, as well as Greenpeace. All the tower and festoon lights that will be at both festival sites are 100% LED, which are 95% more environmentally friendly than fluorescent and incandescent lights.

So much environmental fun!

The next step is inspiring festival goers to take what they learn and experience in these creative spaces out into the wider world.

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