Green festivals – music to our ears
by Jo-ann Hodgson in At home on 18.04.08
The much-loved British music festival hasn’t repaid the environment too kindly for its hospitality in the past. But the crowds may be turning a greener shade of unwashed.
Earlier this year, a report by Buckinghamshire New University found that of 1407 European festival-goers canvassed, 48% would pay more for greener events and 36% would consider a festival’s environmental policy before deciding to buy a ticket.
Over four-fifths of those questioned believed that waste produced by festivals had a negative impact on the environment and more than half were concerned with land damage.
Meeting demand from music lovers for festivals to clean up their acts and following the lead of their European friends – such as Denmark’s Rosklide, which offers free beer to those who manage their rubbish in a way Mother Nature would be proud of – many UK festivals are now striving to add a few green feathers to their cap.
The benefits of doing so are not only better for the environment, but sometime on the organisers’ pockets too. Switching to more eco-friendly power sources can help cut the costs of a festival’s, inevitably huge, energy bill and some insurance brokers even offer organisers discounts if they implement five or more energy-saving features at their event.
Recognising the eco-friendly efforts of music festivals across the country, The Greener Festival Awards last year named as winners:
IMAGE by Flickr user russeljsmith
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