JUNKK - Festivals

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Guardian - Heading for the green fields

For what it's worth, 'The Big Green Gathering' (located not too far from Glastonbury in Somerset) seemed to have its heart in the right place and has a nice vibe. My wife was asked to perform with her band so we decided to make it a family camping break. I was just keen to scope what might be out there in the world of enviro stuff. A few fun stalls but I'd have to say a few DIY/Home shows at the NEC I've been to probably covered more, more thoroughly.

As the piece indicates, I did also have slight trouble reconciling a bunch of folk traveling from all over the place basically to consume (no matter how 'greenly'), especially as most of us were getting there in cars (reason, if not excuse: ours was packed to the gunnels with camping and muso kit). And looking at the number of belching old campers and/or brand new pristine 4x4s in the car park I'd say the rest of the new age/new green brigade had decided to live with the irony.

Frankly I am rather feeling most festivals/concerts should just get on with doing what they were mainly designed to do, and as best they can meet some common sense, practical and reasonable CSR obligations (minimal impact, leave it as you found it (or better), the various 'R's). Mitigation is of course great, and to an extent worth sharing, but I'd also try and avoid too much sanctimonious planet-pushing if the enviROI of having it is higher than not.

Especially if the excuse for the shortfall is 'awareness'. A few too many folk are make a wee bit too much money pumping out extra CO2 in the name of reducing it, and that does not add up to me.

INFO

agreenerfestival.com
Biggreengathering
sunrisecelebration.com