Trashed tents, waterlogged wellies and pricey parking - A British Festival

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Britain should be proud of its festival tradition. 

From Glastonbury to the saggy marquees in our back gardens, there’s something going on most summers to cater for a wide range of interests, however holding festivals in the great outdoors can be bad news for the environment. 

With the season about to start, we thought it would be helpful to provide some ways in which you can be as environmentally friendly as possible while enjoying some great live performances...and maybe one or two beers or an £8 burger. 

1. Make use of public transport.

Many major festivals will provide information on how you can reach the site, but few actively promote car sharing or public transport. If you are driving, why not register on GoCarShare.com where you can rent out your free seats! http://gocarshare.com/ We speak from experience when we say getting a coach with all our clobber is actually easier, and cheaper, than you may think. Plus, National Express does some great deals with major UK festivals where you are dropped off and picked up at the site. For more information on this, visit the National Express website. http://www.nationalexpress.com/wherewego/events/index.aspx

2. Two bin bags…

…is all it takes to separate your cans and plastic bottles. You would do it at home, so why should a festival change your wonderful good habits? Bottled water and those cans you smuggled in aren’t going to decompose, so take two large bin bags and put your plastic bottles in one and your empty cans in the other then tie the tops and take them with you when you leave. Many festivals now have recycling systems on site. Check out Every Can Counts to find out how you can contribute and which festivals have signed up to the scheme. http://www.everycancounts.co.uk/events

3. Get creative.

Festivals, in our humble opinion, are the best time to go all out and wear whatever you want. This is a great opportunity to dig those old jeans out of your cupboard and cut them into shorts and to tie dye those t-shirts. Getting muddy at a British festival means that it’s no place for shiny new fashion buys, so why not emulate the seasons distinctly hippy trend by taking a trip to your local charity shop? Check out Kate Benton’s designs using old tent fabric http://www.ecouterre.com/withintent-transforms-abandoned-tents-into-recycled-festival-fashion/withintent-recycled-tent-fashion-2/ One thing we won’t tolerate however: socks with sandals. 

4. Speaking of tents

Recently, the head of Glastonbury went nuts because shards of metal tent pegs were getting into his silage and subsequently killing his cows. We’d be pretty upset too. If you’re going to a festival held on farmland this summer, get your hands on some biodegradable tent pegs from the Mountain Warehouse (99p for 4). Glastonbury give them out for free. Also, we hate to rabbit on, but please take your tent home – have a look here for ideas on what to do with it http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/20070702/how-can-i-reuse-or-recycle-bits-of-an-old-tent

5. Enjoy yourself!

Although you will undoubtedly feel great for leaving a carbon footprint the size of a tiny Hunter wellie, it’s important that you throw yourself in and take advantage of the fact that you are supporting many festivals that will have been hit by the recession. Green festivals like London Green Fair held in Regents Park have been postponed as it become more and more expensive to hold an environmentally friendly, sustainable event. http://www.londongreenfair.org/

For more information on Green Festivals and the initiatives being followed by major UK events, please visit the WasteConnect website: http://www.wasteconnect.co.uk/page.aspx?ID=2197c32e-cb45-49a3-9fb8-41a24b650548

Spring has Sprung

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Walking along the River Severn on a lazy Sunday just gone, it was hard to ignore the weather - which was milder, the water – which was lower, and the trees – which were blossoming. By no means was this the ‘boom of summertime’, but it was something of a rumble at least.  Something I've never really thought about is how plants and animals just seem to know when spring is here.

Apparently, plants know the time. The Mother Nature Network tells me how…

‘Plants have genes that suppress flowering and growth, and these genes are time sensitive. Plants actually register how many cold days have passed, and when enough have gone by, the genes are temporarily deactivated, allowing flowering and growth’.

It turns out that there is an actual in-built timer which counts the days of winter and has pretty good judgment of when the cold season is ending. The widely accepted reason for this is that plants can measure how long the days are through their window for photosynthesis; as the window gets bigger, plants begin to flower to aid pollination.  Likewise, the colder weather and shorter days lead to the suppressing of blossoming. It’s a very clever design! ‘I Always Wondered’ gives this more scientific, humorous explanation which brings me on to my next subject…

‘One particular species of plant, arabidopsis or ‘thale cress’, had its entire genome sequenced in 2000. Scientists discovered a gene that they, in a fit of creativity, named ‘COLDAIR’, or in Latin frigida (seriously). COLDAIR gets switched on after that long period of freezing temperatures and progressively turns off a gene responsible for inhibiting flowering, over a period of six weeks.

Then bees do it with them. SCIENCE!’

 So, where do the bees come from? Where do they hide away all winter? Do they migrate as birds do? Do they hibernate? No. They form a ‘winter cluster’.

Besides sounding like a seasonal breakfast cereal, this is another amazing natural mechanism that ensures the survival of our honey bees. According to the Gardening website ‘Dave’s Garden’…

'Honeybees stop flying when the weather drops below 50 degrees. The worker bees huddle around the Queen bee at the center of the cluster, shivering in order to keep the center around 80 degrees. The worker bees rotate through the cluster from the outside to the inside so that no bee gets too cold.’

The colder the temperature, the more compact the cluster becomes. They're also a little bit furry which helps.

So that's where spring goes when it's not on its way!

Stay Warm During The 'Big Freeze'

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If, like us, you're from the UK you would have be experiencing plummeting temperatures for the last week or two as the 'Big Freeze' hit Britain. And unfortunately, this weather is set to stay with us for the time being.

So I thought I'd take this opportunity to provide you with information and advice on how to keep warm during this freezing period, whilst remaining green!

I've mentioned Nigel’s Eco Store in the past, but this eco-friendly online company provides green solutions to your everyday needs, plus gift ideas too.
There are currently heating efficiency and Insulation products in stock which range from Draught Excluders to Electric Blankets.
You can visit Nigel’s Eco Store here: http://www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Energy_Efficiency.html

The Ethical Eco Store stocks a whole range of winter products, including clothes and throws which are mostly organic and Fair Trade items. They also have a big sale on - so visit quick!
You can visit them here:
http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/ethical-gifts/winter-warmers/?page=1

The popular online retail store 'Amazon' also has a range of eco-friendly products - just simply type your desired item into the search:-
http://www.amazon.co.uk

Staying warm, our top tips:

• Avoid unnecessary trips - use public transport where possible.
• Wrap up warm - put them scarf, hat and glove sets you received for Christmas to good use. And dig those thermals out!
• Wear warm boots/shoes when outside together with thick socks.
• If you know of an elderly vulnerable person, make sure they are comfortable and warm with efficient heating facilities.
• Ensure your household heating is working along with good draught proofing for insulation.
• Have plenty of hot food and drinks.
• Stay active with plenty of exercise.
• Invest in a 'onesie', 'snuggie' or 'slanket'.

Thanks for reading,

GA Team