Sustainable practices are cool: Green festivals should be the next popular thing
Hannah Love, a baby sleep and parenting expert, says she has attended festivals every one of her 46 years. The acts and activities remain the main attraction, but the mother of three believes the values of a festival are important too, according to a report from BBC.
“I think the kind of festivals I go to place a big emphasis on sustainability and attract people like us who do think about the environment. Going to a festival has a much lower carbon footprint than travelling abroad,” noted Love as per the agency.
Sustainable practices getting increasing attention lately
Green festivals should be the next big thing as the entire festival industry uses a lot of electricity to run events, and transportation is another prominent polluting source as it includes people getting to the events and goods being ferried to and from the sites.
Sustainable practices have been getting increasing attention lately. But they need more space in the limelight as the planet continues to heat up, making it difficult for scores of lives to survive. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed 2023 as the hottest year ever.
Festivals are often run in remote areas, losing access to connection to the national grid. Several events rely on generators that use the polluting fossil fuels, consequently pumping out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to the raging climate emergency.
Instances of festivals adopting sustainable practices
Glastonbury Festival
In a promising move, festivals are making an effort to improve their environmental impact. There have been numerous notable instances, such as last year’s Glastonbury Festival hosting of 20-metre wind turbine to supply energy to selected market stalls.
Shambala festival
One of the driving forces in terms of green festivals is Chris Johnson, co-founder of the Shambala festival in the UK. It has adopted a series of eco measures, including only serving up vegan and vegetarian food at events, according to BBC.
It has also switched from diesel generators to sourcing power through sustainably-sourced hydrogenated vegetable oil, solar and hybrid units, and introducing energy tariffs for traders in an effort to encourage greater responsibility for energy consumption.
Mysteryland festival
Shambala has been noting a “complete culture shift”, according to Johnson. In addition, Mysteryland in the Netherlands currently sources 80% of its electricity from solar panels on a nearby farm. The electronic music festival attracts 130,000 party-goers every year.
It has taken a number of steps to become less reliant on fossil fuels. The festival and its partners have also dug electricity cables into the ground to connect the festival to the national grid – although a big investment and challenge.
