When you think of a music festival, many people will think of nature-loving hippies at places like Glastonbury and Woodstock. But in fact, due to the enourmous amount of energy it takes to light and sound up to ten different stages at once, music festivals can contribute tonnes and tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere.
This year though, some of the UK’s biggest festivals are striking back, with massive events such as The Big Chill, Latitude, Bestival, Reading & Leeds and Lovebox joining a campaign to cut carbon emissions.
Starting with Bestival on the Isle of Wight last weekend, 10 festivals have joined the Guardian-supported 10:10 mission to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 10% during 2010.
The venues – hosting a wide variety of bands and artists including Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Elbow, Lily Allen, The Prodigy, Hot Chip, Florence & The Machine, The Flaming Lips, Spandau Ballet and Seasick Steve – have joined up as 10:10 begins a wave of international launches from France to the west coast of the United States.
Each festival has agreed to cut its emissions from power use for lighting, sound systems and stalls, from waste and from water use. Innovations include a solar-powered stage on the Isle of Wight to recycled or compostable cups and cutlery at Latitude, Reading and Leeds, and composting toilets at Bestival. They will be helped by low-carbon music industry specialists Julie’s Bicycle.
The announcement follows research by Oxford University which showed that the combined emissions from 500 festivals in the UK was 84,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in one year – more than the annual emissions of several small island states.
Tom Findlay, one half of electronic music duo Groove Armada and the founder of Lovebox, said the appeal of the 10:10 campaign was that “it makes change feel achievable”.
The 10:10 campaign director, Eugenie Harvey, said that festivals helped the campaign reach new groups – particularly younger music fans at events like Reading and Leeds – and helped discard the image that all campaigns to tackle climate change preach denial and dismal living.
“Cutting carbon isn’t all about staying at home and giving stuff up,” said Harvey. “British summertime’s all about getting out there and enjoying it while it lasts. And enjoying it all with 10% less carbon, well, who can argue?”
As the festival season gets underway, 10:10 has announced that four new international campaigns are being launched in France (where events are headed by Earth from Above photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand), Germany, Portugal and Washington state in the US. This brings the total number of countries to 10: the Netherlands, Norway, Ghana, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK have already joined up.
The London-based campaign group said it is talking to another 17 overseas groups in Australia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, China, Nepal, Nigeria, Serbia and Spain. Other plans include a day of global action on Sunday 10 October – dubbed 10:10:10.
“As soon as we get over the excitement of one country wanting to start their own 10:10 operation, another gets in touch,” said Lizzie Gillett, campaign director for 10:10 Global. “It goes to show 10:10 is inspiring people to make a genuine difference through simple changes.”
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