The powerful music festival community continues to grow each year as new and exciting venues pop up to house a few days of live performances that bring together musicians and festival goers alike. It is all well and good merging nationalities, as everyone celebrates a common interest in music and live acts, but it is also important to remember the dramatic affect that these types of festivals can have on the environment.
We have put together this post to highlight some of the environmental issues that take place during music festivals and the steps we can take to help prevent or minimise these. Think, ‘leave no trace’ as you start to pitch your tent. Festival attendees can enjoy the great outdoors responsibly, so it is about being mindful when on public lands. It is important to help sustain healthy, vibrant natural lands for all people to enjoy, now and in the future.
During festival season it is a time of high use in terms of camping and using public land. Take a look at some of the issues below along with ways we can help to resolve them:
Waste
Within the short space of time a music festival takes place, people seem to forget their daily responsibilities and the fact that littering is not just frowned upon, it is illegal. As the mountains of empty cups and food containers stack up it is apparent just how harmful these events can be to the environment.
By disposing of waste properly and inspecting your campsite area for litter or spilled foods can help the land space a considerable amount. Things such as repackaging food before you arrive into biodegradable containers, using recyclable cups or investing in Hessian bags to carry food and camping essentials from suppliers such as Weirbags, will all help towards sustaining the festival surroundings. By storing food rations and litter securely this will also help protect any wildlife in the area.
Hygiene
Ensuring a festival is hygienic is vital, especially when it comes to campers needing to do their business. Using a portaloo hire company for portaloos is the first step. Also ensuring there are regular hygiene stations that provide alcohol hand gel, as well as cabins that offer showers will help festival-goers reduce their need to be unhygienic and rely on “wet wipe showers” which will likely result in pile-ups of wet wipes that cannot be recycled.
Regular reminders will also minimise the spread of illness. Bugs such as the common cold are widespread, but unhygienic practices can soon spread around the campsite and potentially result in widespread illness. By providing services to encourage hygienic practices while also reminding campers to regularly practice hygiene by washing their hands is an effective two-pronged attack.
Transport
Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse emissions are caused from music festivals alone as they consume energy, food, water and other materials and produce waste and carbon emissions as a result. Travelling to these types of venues causes an excess of greenhouse gas emissions affecting the rise in air pollution.
If you have secured yourself a ticket for this year’s music festivities, then book yourself a coach service to help reduce the amount of emissions. Most venues offer public transport to and from the festival and some are even included in the ticket price. Many people take the opportunity of booking a music event to go abroad and celebrate with friends in the sun. This could be a step in the right direction in terms of combining holidays and festivals and not travelling multiple times to do them individually.
Energy
Aside from the essential energy costs required to run a music festival in terms of traders, bars, DJ sets and speakers for live performances, campers have also created a demand for other ‘not so essential’ amenities such as, blow dry bars, showers and phone charging stations. If we focus more on the music and leave life’s luxuries at home, we will help reduce the levels of energy required to run the show.
Music festivals are becoming increasingly popular, so it is critical that people are more mindful of the impact these field parties have on the environment. Remember to leave what you find in terms of rocks, plants and other natural objects. Do not build furniture or dig trenches and refrain from using marking paint or flagging your camping spot. By planning ahead and knowing the campsites regulations you may be able to contribute to eliminating some of the environmental issue’s music festivals bring.
