It’s the place to be green
One of the staples of the annual festival lineup in the UK is Green Man: an independent music and arts festival held in the Welsh Brecon Beacons, near the town of Crickhowell.
The event found itself in the headlines recently with its controversial plans to expand. That being said, the festival is still the greenest in the UK, with festival-goers and performers praising the event for its green ethos.
In light of their recent expansion plans, GORP counts down the top 5 facts about the UK’s greenest festival.
1. It was the UK’s most sustainable summer event of 2022
The festival was named the UK’s most sustainable summer event of 2022 in a study carried out by wholesale packaging provider Packaging Online, beating the Wimbledon tennis Championships and festival giants such as Glastonbury and Wireless.
The study commended Green Man’s “eco-friendly culture”, highlighting aspects such as their compostable packaging and compost toilets, as well as the banning of disposable plastics.
2. It uses alternative power sources
Green Man states on their website that they are a supporter of an initiative called Vision: 2025, with a pledge to reduce their environmental impact by 50% by 2025. Vision: 2025 was founded in 2015 and consists of a network of over 500 outdoor events and businesses who are striving to take positive climate action. Green Man is taking these steps by using alternative power sources such as hydrogen, solar and hydrotreated oil – as well as having a 100% solar powered stage.
3. They support local businesses
As most of the beers and ciders served at Green Man are brewed in Welsh breweries, the carbon footprint of the transportation to the festival is naturally reduced.
Some festival-goers are attracted to this refreshing aspect of Green Man. Benjamin Leonard has attended the last three festivals: “The fact that they only sell local beer and food is the most appealing aspect of the festival’s ethos to me,” he said.
4. It’s good for the (work) environment
Green Man’s aptly green ethos doesn’t hamper the overall experience: not just for festival-goers but for performers too. Jules Young is a dancer who has regularly performed at Green Man over the last few years and feels that this is a very good thing:
“The fact that the festival is working to be as sustainable as possible and yet the experience remains the same is an example for other festivals and outdoor events,” he said, “The festival supports my company to make the greenest possible choices for the performance. This allows me to make the touring of work sustainable.”
5. It’s big on mythology
At the centre of the festival stands a huge wooden sculpture of the titular Green Man: the weekend always concludes with the ritual burning of the effigy. The Green Man has mythological ties to ideas of nature, rebirth, and new growth, and it appears that the proposed expansion will mean the festival will continue to grow in a similar way.
Green Man 2023 will be held between 17-20 August, with this year’s lineup including Swedish duo First Aid Kit among almost 90 other acts.