A different kind of line up for the 2023 Green Gathering, just as important as the entertainment, this year we’re rolling all our waste reduction initiatives into one big planet-saving redux. And for this we need your help.
Are your favourite fanciest clothes languishing unworn? Do you have things at the back of your wardrobe, bought on a whim or worn to some super special occasion years ago… outfits that just seem a bit too frivolous, impractical or attention-seeking? THESE are the clothes to wear to Green Gathering!
If our International award winning, greenest festival on the globe isn’t the perfect occasion to wear your most flamboyant clobber, we don’t know what is! So drag your wedding dress, sequinned catsuit, Cinderella ballgown, tiger costume, rainbow-striped raincoat and fishnet tights out of the cupboard, try them on and dance about at home in them, then come festival time… stuff them into your bag and be your brightest self at Green Gathering.
This is definitely a buy-nothing-new challenge. Clothes swapping, creative repurposing and heroic repairs are allowed and encouraged!
Did you know a conventional menstrual pad can contain as much plastic as four carrier bags? Millions are flushed away every day and many end up in the sea. Those sent to landfill may live longer than the person who used them.
When we learned this, we joined forces with City to Sea to empower women to choose Plastic Free Periods. In 2022 we invented Moon Loos – dedicated festival toilets for people with periods, complete with private sinks for washing hands and rinsing reusable period wear.
To complement these, this year we’ll provide a Red Tent - a restful, supportive space for people having periods at our festival – and our Welfare Tent will be stocking mooncups and reusable pads at non-profit prices.
We are hacked off with hazard tape. That red and white plastic tape, used to cordon off danger zones, nearly always ends up scrunched and torn on the waste pile after a single use. So we’ve been phasing it out over recent years but of course, we still need to make our festival safe and prevent you falling into troll-infested pits / sneaking backstage etc.
That’s why we came up with the idea of DANGER BUNTING! Upcycled fabric sewn into lovely red and white pennants is reusable year after year (and looks cute). You’ve already made us nearly half a kilometre of it. The same again and job’s a good ‘un.
Save the planet. Make more bunting. We’ll give you ticket discounts. Here’s how.
We’d love to wipe out single use cups completely. Getting on board with our BYOM campaign is only a small step beyond carrying a reusable water bottle.
By bringing your own mug, festival-goers can slash the waste involved in production and disposal of thousands of paper cups.
And, here’s a hot tip for when you’ve left your mug in your tent: did you know the sturdy reusable plastic stack-cups we use in our bars are certified safe to use for hot drinks? Who doesn’t love a half pint of tea in the morning?
Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to bring plates, cutlery and the kitchen sink too!
Our fabulous Crock ’n’ Rock crew provide a plate and cutlery hire service - just pay a returnable deposit, and a donation if you choose, grab your crocks and then rock around the cafes, choosing whichever nosh you fancy… when you’re done, return the serveware to claim your deposit, and the Crock ‘n’ Rock crew will do the washing up!
For hardcore waste aficionados, the Cleanstream Resource Centre in our Campaigns Field is a must-visit. The Cleanstream team emphasise the importance of keeping waste sorted and clean where possible, preserving it as a resource for upcycling.
Here you can dehydrate food waste to make it lighter to transport to the composting area (and use the liquid produced to nourish plants), make colourful waterproof signs from plastic bottle tops, turn tetrapaks into purses and lampshades, create water saving ‘tip-taps’ for handwashing, and...
...get all excited discussing and discovering how to salvage and reuse precious materials, where to recycle complex packaging, and what happens behind the scenes of waste management.
This is for the geeks. You too can be a geek! Or a womble. Zero waste? Let’s do this.
