Latitude festival: Ready to rock, roll and recycle

By the time you read this, I'll already be "rocking out" at Latitude, the music and arts event that's doing a ruddy good job of being the UK's greenest festival ever. And with over 30,000 people in attendance, that's no mean feat.

Most excitingly, Latitude is playing host to the world's first fuel cell powered festival stage with state of the art LED lighting. But the smaller details are often the most important, and these are being taken care of too. Read on after the jump to find out how you make a festival the size of a small town as green as possible...

Related: Top 5 tips for a greener festival experience | Top green and ethical festival footwear picks | Get 'glamping' eco style with Millets

One of the main problems with inviting several thousand revellers to a countryside beauty-spot is litter. To tackle this problem at Latitude, all attendees will be given a 'camper's waste kit' on arrival, including a compost bag for food scraps; a clear plastic bag for recyclables such as plastic bottles, cans and cardboard; and a black bin bag for other rubbish.

Clearly labelled recycle bins -- including 'compost' bins for food waste -- will be placed around the festival ground, with a team of 'green messangers' ensuring the waste is dealt with responsibly. There's also a 'hire a beer cup' scheme, with a £2 deposit for those who return the drinking vessels intact at the end of the event.

With transport to the event accounting for 75% of festival emissions, attendees are being encouraged to travel to Latitude by public transport, with lots of bus services to and from local stations laid on. The festival 'welcome pack' points out that If you travel alone to the festival by car, you are emitting approximately ten times the amount of CO2 than if you travelled to the festival by bus and three and a half times as much as if you travelled by train.

We hear a lot about how festivals want to 'do their bit' for the environment, but can a festival ever be a truly green event? "The festival and environmental issues sit hand in hand," says Latitude director Melvin Benn. "There's an argument that any festival increases the carbon footprint, but you've got to bear in mind that 25,000 people who attend will be camping for the weekend, none will be at home watching TV or using hairdryers or switching on their kettles or ironing their clothes. So the carbon footprint they would otherwise generate at home disappears."

Comments