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Whilst for many Glastonbury may evoke images of iconic musical performances, fancy dresses, flags and mud, sustainability has long been at the heart of Glastonbury Festival and the 2023 edition is no different.
Green Communications Officer for the festival, Alexia Loundras, joked that whilst the most sustainable thing would be to not have a festival at all, but once they’ve got people here they do their best to leave as small a footprint as possible on the land.
“We ask people to come by public transport. We ask them to think about, you know, fill their cars if they can’t manage on public transport. We put on free shuttle buses from the local train station to make it easier for people to do that. And when they’re onsite, you know, we ask them to be respectful. We ask them not leave litter on the ground and to use our waste bins. And we hand-sort all our recycling onsite in our onsite recycling center, which means that we can avoid sending any waste to landfill. So we’re really proud of what we’ve managed here and our facilities. It’s really good.”
This year’s festival was also run entirely by renewable energy for the first time. All production areas were either run on solar-powered panels and battery hybrid systems or powered by electricity from ‘fossil fuel-free sources.’ In 2010, the festival’s cowsheds were covered with enough solar panels to power 40 homes, making it the largest privately owned solar power station in the U.K. at the time.
“Our green fields have always run on solar and wind power since their inception in the 1980s,” Loundras explained, “and it’s been that fossil-free as standard we’ve been trying to implement across the site since then, and it’s been baby steps. But this year we’re really pleased that all of Glastonbury Festival power needs can be met through renewable fuels and renewable energy.”
Ultimately, Loundras wanted festivalgoers to leave the experience with increased knowledge and passion for change.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.