Going to a festival this summer? Enjoy the music, soak at the atmosphere and keep your carbon footprint to a minimum with our energy saving festival tips.
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Festivals are all about getting together with friends and meeting new people – so leave the car at home and go by public transport. It’s the most eco-friendly way to travel and if there’s a group, you can all go together. Or if you’re travelling alone or as a couple, you’re likely to meet fellow festival-goers en route.
There are different options available depending on your budget and where you are travelling to.
Big Green Coach and Festival Coaches provide transport to all the major UK festivals including Glastonbury, Global Gathering, Summer Sundae Weekender, V, Glade, Latitude and many others.
Extra train services are usually laid on around major festivals. Check National Rail for times and availability. For international festivals, try Seat61, which has train tickets from the UK to Europe and Asia. If you must take the car, remember to follow our smart driving tips to help reduce your petrol usage.
Need accommodation for the festival? If you don’t use a tent very often, it’s more environmentally responsible and probably cheaper to rent one.
My Hab will put you up in a tent made of recycled materials in its enclosures at UK festivals.
Pod Pads offer a similar set up, but are even more luxurious with raised beds and wooden floors.
You can also check the festival website to see if they have tents, tepees, yurts or pods to hire.
If you are staying in your own tent, don’t abandon it on the festival field, whatever state it may be in. Discarded tents are a huge problem at festivals and often end up in landfill sites. Instead, see if the festival has a collection point where tents can be donated to emergency-relief organisations.
Stick to the old adage - take only photos, leave only footprints. Most festivals have recycling facilities for bottles, cans and paper. It’s also a good idea to take a few bin liners to collect rubbish round your tent.
There are loads of great wind-up gadgets that can save you a lot of hassle. No more running out of batteries, uncharged phones or being plunged into darkness while trying to negotiate your way to your tent at 2am.
Our festival favourites are:
If you’re blessed with a sun-filled festival, solar powered chargers can be a godsend. The Solar Gadget Store has a range of solar powered gadgets from phone chargers to mini panels that can be used to power showers and lighting.
Don’t keep buying new bottles of water. Save money and keep hydrated by refilling one bottle from the water taps located round the festival site.
Festivals usually offer a wide range of foods. If possible, try to tuck in to those offering local or organic produce. Also avoid using lots of plastic disposable cutlery, which often ends up fermenting in a land-fill site.
Some festivals have shower facilities. Other people take their own portable shower kits. If you’re intending to use washing facilities on-site, take chemical-free shampoos and soaps which won’t harm the local eco-system. Earth Warrior Soap is affordable, contains no nasties and is fragranced from aromas round the world.
Get some new clothes for the festival, without spending a penny! Bigwardrobe.com is the home to the world’s biggest fashion swap. It’s a great way to update your look and clear out your closet, simultaneously.
Getting to the festival
Big Green Coach >
Festival Coaches >
National Rail >
Seat61 >
Where to sleep?
My Hab >
Pod Pads >
Wind-up goodies
Torches, lanterns and head-lamps >
Two-in-one phone charger >
Radios and MP3s >
Solar powered charging
The Solar Gadget Store >
Fashion and beauty
Earth Warrior Soap >
Bigwardrobe.com >
It's packed with:
