I’ve been going to Latitude Festival for many years now and something that has impressed me year-on-year is the eco-friendly credentials of the event. Here are just a few of the noteworthy measures that Latitude have put in place to ensure the festival is as green and sustainable as possible…
TRAVEL
Many people travel from all over the country to visit Latitude festival so the organisers have made special arrangements to get as many people to the event with the least impact possible. Firstly, there are tons of shuttle buses laid on to help festival-goers get to the site. These run from Diss train station, Halesworth, Southwold and Kessingland. I used the shuttle bus last year and it was so convenient and ran at regular times throughout the festival. The Big Green Coach company brings guests from further afield, from as far away as Leeds, Southampton and Bristol, and for each customer that travels with The Big Green Coach, they will sponsor 5sqft of the Amazon rainforest for 10 years.
And another great idea that I hadn’t heard of before is the Latitude Liftshare scheme. It connects people who are planning to drive to Latitude but have spare seats in their car with folk who need a lift. This cuts down on the pollution and congestion on the roads and brings less vehicles onto the festival site. Plus, you can save money by sharing the costs of travel with your passengers, so it’s a thrifty measure as well as environmentally friendly.
ENERGY
Sure, it takes a lot of energy to power a whole festival but some special measures have been included to ensure it’s as sustainable as possible. The generators at Latitude festival are partly powered by biofuel with 15% coming from waste vegetable oil. Couple that with the fact that all the festoon lights and tower lighting are 100% LED and the energy use of the festival begins to look pretty eco-friendly.
WASTE
All the food that you buy on the festival site from the food stalls comes in compostable containers so all your food waste can be recycled – yes, even the cutlery and napkins – and compost waste bins are provided especially for this. There are also ‘normal’ recycling bins for paper, cardboard, aluminium and plastic. And last year I spotted a whole team of litter pickers doing an excellent job of cleaning up the festival site.
I know that festivals often experience a problem with broken tents, gazebos and camping gear being left behind in the campsite but at Latitude you can take any broken equipment, empty batteries etc to the recycling points.
REUSABLE CUPS
One of my favourite things about Latitude festival (aside from the entertainment, of course) is their reusable cups. In fact, I’ve got quite a collection of them now! Each year there’s a new design and many people take their cup home with them as a souvenir so I’m sure I’m not the only one with 15 Latitude cups in my kitchen cupboard! You just pay a £2 deposit for your reusable cup and get the deposit back when you return it to the bar. Or you can keep it and take it home, like I do.
These cups have been used by Latitude festival since 2007 to eliminate single-use plastic. You won’t find a flimsy throwaway plastic pint glass anywhere on site – and, because the cups are sturdier, they’re easier to carry from the bar to your buddies!
WATER
There are plenty of drinking water taps around the festival site and you are welcome to refill your water bottles all weekend for free. I also saw the ‘hydration pixies’ last year, who have packs of water and hoses, ready to refill your drinking bottles and keep the crowd happily hydrated.
By the way, tickets for Latitude festival are selling fast so check out which days are still available here. Let me know what eco-friendly measures you’re spotted at Latitude festival in recent years in the comments below 🙂
