Glastonbury Festival plans to further enhance its green credentials this year with a range of environmental improvements, including a £500,000 investment in a second water reservoir, the installation of 1,100 solar panels and more localised sewage disposal.
The 1,500 square metres of solar panels the festival plans to install are probably the most eye-catching of this year’s
environmental upgrades.
When fitted to the barn roofs at Worthy Farm, where
Glastonbury Festival is staged, the festival organisers say they will amount to the UK’s largest private solar electricity system, generating enough power to supply 40 homes.
The annual CO2 savings delivered by the panels are expected to be in the region of 100 tonnes, equivalent to the total annual footprint of 10 people living in the UK.
The festival’s founder, Michael Eavis said: "It's a very exciting project for us. We first had
renewable energy at the festival in 1979 and we've been trying to increase it ever since. We want the festival, and the farm, to be as green as they can be. The solar panels will make a huge contribution towards that."
Visitors to this year’s festival won’t get to see the solar panels in place, however. Work to install them, which is in any case subject to planning permission and engineers’ reports, is not due to begin until August 1.
This year’s festival-goers will get to benefit from improved
water pressure, however, after a £500,000 investment in a second water reservoir for the site.
The first million litre reservoir was installed last year but did not have sufficient capacity to supply the whole site, which meant it was necessary to truck extra water in.
“We got half way there last year,” explained a spokesperson. “Now we’ve put a second one in so we will be fully self-sufficient once that tank is filled – which it will be before the festival – in all parts of the site.”
Another measure which will significantly reduce the
road usage associated with the festival is the switch from transporting the site’s human sewage to Avonmouth, almost 50 miles away, to using local sewage plants, within a 10-mile radius, instead.
According to the spokesperson, measures such as these will significantly reduce the vehicle movements, and the associated
CO2 emissions, generated by the festival.
Wormery and food waste digester A wormery and food
waste digester and reed beds are among the other green features that will making an appearance at this year’s festival.
A lot of these things will be run as small-scale models, to test their viability before wider roll-out.
“We have a responsibility to the licensing authority for everything we do,” explained the spokesperson. “We can’t just decide to provide compost toilets to the whole site without being sure they won’t break down.”
Making the event as
efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible has been part of the Glastonbury Festival’s ethos since the 1970s and many of the festivals that have followed in its wake have taken a similarly green path.
Majority of festivals implement "green good practice"Research published by environmental advice and campaign group A Greener Festival at the end of last year, showed that 97 per cent of the 37 festivals surveyed implemented “ green good practice”, with 94 per cent promoting lift sharing, 97 per cent promoting public transport and 71 per cent using at least some sustainable power (usually wind, solar or sustainable bio-fuels).
Related news:Energy & resources newsRenewables newsGreen facilities newsRelated links:www.glastonburyfestivals.co.ukwww.agreenerfestival.com