IF A summer festival were a colour, what colour would it be? Brown. It's got to be brown. While I've never waded through a Glastonbury swamp, I do have an unerring knack of attending weekend festivals on the day the skies open and mosh pits turn into mud baths. But you know that Crowded House song? The one about always taking the weather with you? That could have been written for me. The dark clouds of eco worries transform into rain clouds the moment I step off the shuttle bus.
Back in the day when I had the stamina for music festivals, being green was purely an after-effect of overpriced lager. But today it is the colour of choice in the festival scene. Not only do we now have guides on how to be a green festival-goer, all
the big festivals are both measuring and striving to improve their carbon footprints. Even more radical, we have festivals where green issues are the stars and bands come way down the billing.
I like to back up these anecdotal ramblings with a few facts and figures, and thankfully the nice people at www.agreenerfestival.com have been conducting lots of research into this new world of environmentally aware festivals. A few nuggets from the most recent survey revealed that over 80 per cent think noise, waste and traffic at festivals have a negative impact; 74 per cent said they would travel on public transport if it was included in the price of a ticket and 48 per cent would pay more for greener events. Do we believe that last statement? I'm not convinced, but it's the thought that counts. At the other end of the scale, some Neanderthal music fans (13 per cent) would not recycle; 36 per cent would not want recyclable crockery and cutlery (even if free) and 30 per cent would not pay a refundable deposit of £2 for beer cups. Shame on them.
As an example of how far mainsteam music festivals have come, let's take a look at T In The Park (www.tinthepark.com). The organisers surveyed their audience and found that 80 per cent recycle, reduce waste, use low-energy lightbulbs and turn electrics off when they're not in use. And 95 per cent feel it is important that T In The Park is as green as possible. Nice sentiments, and ones that are backed up by measures taken on site. Staff get on bicycles; grey water (that's waste water from things like showers and washing dishes) is collected and emptied safely (ie not into nearby Loch Leven); energy-efficient lightbulbs are used at the campsite; recycling is encouraged (for rock stars as well as mortals, with over 60 per cent of waste recycled last year) and, since 2006, the festival has been the world's largest carbon neutral festival.
If, like me, you lost touch with chart music when Top Of The Pops went off the air (first time round), perhaps a dedicated green festival is more your style. They tend to have pleasant world music rather than that frantic jump-up-and-down stuff. Try the Big Green Gathering (29 July-2 August, www.big-green-gathering.com), in Somerset, complete with an area dedicated to the "horse-drawn 21st century". A touch too green? The Big Tent Festival (25-26 July, www.bigtentfestival.com), in Falkland, is an excellent alternative, with stands covering just about every environmental topic imaginable, not to mention a Climate Change Ceilidh (the mind boggles) and music from Shooglenifty, the Creole Choir of Cuba and more.
Last year I had a splendid time sitting in the orchard of neighbouring Falkland Palace, sipping an organic ale and perusing literature on mastering the art of eco-friendly interior design. I can't guarantee that it will be a mud-free zone, but the predominant colour will definitely be green.
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