By Melissa Corkhill
06th May 2009
TENT If you only use it once a year, hiring a tent is a much more economical and environmentally responsible method of camping. Many festivals offer alternative camping options such as luzurious yurts, pods, tipis and more. MyHab hire out cardboard tents which are made mostly from ultra-tough recycled plastic and water-proof cardboard at various festivals. Unwanted tents can now be donated at the end of most festivals to house refugees. Tents that are left and thrown away end up going to landfill, causing further damage to the environment. See globalhand.org/givemeshelter for more info.
TRAVEL If possible try to get to the festival by public transport, or consider car sharing. Freewheelers links drivers and passengers to share the cost of travel. See freewheelers.com or liftshare.com
KIT Eco Kits are available, providing all those little necessities to help you through the festival. Ecotopia provides an Eco Festival Pack and Ethical Superstore have a range of gear for camping including recycled sleeping bags, a solar shower, outdoor meal kit and storm kettle.
TENT PEGS?Last year Glastonbury featured the first biodegradable tent pegs to replace the usual metal pegs, which when left in fields ended up being chopped up by machinery – leaving sharp pieces of metal in the fields on which animals graze. The biodegradable pegs are made from natural materials derived from wheat and potatoes. The pegs can be left in the ground; they break down by microbes in soil and will have disintegrated within a few weeks.
Tips for green festival goers
• Avoid buying over-packaged goods and individual portion packs
• Buy durable products, returnable bottles and containers that can be re-filled
• Buy fair-trade and organic food, drinks and products at stalls if possible
• Use re-sealable containers to keep your food fresh (this reduces the amount of plastic film and aluminum foil you throw away)
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Recycle what you cannot reuse
• Say no to plastic bags if offered by market vendors. Bring your own re-useable cloth bag.
• Use public transport and our shuttle bus service if possible, or look for a lift through the Car Share Schemes.
• Use only phosphate free shampoo and soap in the showers and remember to take a short shower!
• Live by the Leave No Trace philosophy – take only photos, leave only footprints.
