The Big Green Gathering

WEATHER FORECAST PREDICTS A RAIN FREE GATHERING!!
The long range forecast for the Big Green Gathering is fine and sunny with a 10% chance of preciptation. Director, Penny Kemp said, “The long range forceast looks good for our festival and we are mighty relieved. So many festivals this year have been devastated by heavy rain and the recent flooding has made people wonder what is going on with our climate. We urge people to come to the big Green Gathering to find out how they can reduce their carbon footprint and find solutions to climate change. We need lifestyle change to combat climate change.”THE BIG GREEN GATHERING IS ON!!The festival site is high on top of the Mendip Hills and extremely unlikely to flood. If you would like to check the local weather please go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/weatherand enter "Cheddar".

We recommend that you plan your travel routes carefully to avoid areas that have been affected by the recent floods, and, it goes without saying, don't forget your Wellies and a water proof! We are looking forward to opening the gates on 1st August and seeing you all there ready to enjoy our five day spectacular!!TICKETS ARE ON SALE by phone through our Ticket Hotline 01458 830 281, or ONLINE SHOP until 30th July, or from one of our many ticket agents including the new mobile phone ticketing which will run up to the event itself.

TICKET HOTLINE EXTENDED HOURS! Now from 10am until 7pm. Also open Saturday and Sunday 10am until 4pm.Day tickets for local residents will be on sale from 1st July ONLY from local ticket agents, but are limited in numbers. Click here for more information
For ticket prices Click Here.

JULIAN LENNON PRODUCTIONS choose Big Green Gathering to preview award winning film in UK. Click here to read the full story on our news page

Who is performing at the Big Green Gathering? For music, dance and workshops Click Here or for theatre and walkabout Click Here

The Greener Festival Award 2007

The AGreenerFestival team has established a voluntary award scheme to acknowledge individual festival's commitment to environmentally friendly practices. The award A GREENER FESTIVAL 2007 - will be based around the twin aims of promoting greener practices and promoting sustainability. It will be available to any festival which can meet the requirements of a sixty question check list and commit to an ‘A – Z’ of green priorities. The award is to promote greening practices at music festivals. We don’t expect festivals to be able to meet every single point on our check list but they must reach a minimum standard. They need at the very least to have a coherent transport and travel policy promoting public transport; they must consider ways to reduce waste and pollution; they must have recycling on site and they must protect the environment and protect wildlife. We would also like festivals to aspire to a 26 point action plan – our A-Z of going green – and by 2008 we really do hope that all UK festivals will have basic green policies and practices in place. Ultimately we expect all festivals to aim for a ‘leave no trace’ philosophy where their festival is totally green and leaves no impact on the environment.
Recipients of the Award will be able to show the have achieved a high level of greening at their event. Recipients will be entitled to use the logo in all of their advertising and on their website and a list of receipients will be publicised on this website. There may also be a tie up with a major awards ceremony to celebrate the awards - watch this space!
The questionnaire was drawn up by the team behind Agreenerfestival.com with additional research by students at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College . A new logo for the award will be based on a drawing of the red kite, milvus milvus, a threatened bird of prey recently reintroduced into England and Scotland from Wales and Europe where it survived near extinction and the logo has been designed by agreenerfestival website designer Luke Westbury.
If you and your event is interested in the award please email us at agreenerfestival@aol.com

Offsetting should be encouraged concludes Parliamentary committee

23.07.2007
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has published the results of its investigation into voluntary carbon offsets, concluding that they have a ‘useful role’ in reducing carbon emissions and engaging the public. It recommends that encouragement and assistance should be given to individuals and organisations to offset their carbon.
While recognising that the market is young, with areas of improvement needed, the Committee says it is unfortunate that offsets as a whole currently risk being tainted by a few failed projects.
Important conclusions of the report include:
Voluntary offsets have an important role: “we believe that the voluntary carbon offset market does have a role to play both in reducing carbon emissions and raising awareness of climate change issues to the general public.” (p.12)
There is little evidence that offsetting encourages polluting behaviour: “It is often charged that offsetting might be seen as validating polluting behaviour... we found little substantial evidence to support the view that offsetting encourages ethical carelessness.”(p14)
Business and the public should be encouraged to offset: “Encouragement and assistance must be given to individuals, organisations and companies to offset.”(p.3)
The voluntary offset market is helping to fund important projects around the world and plays a valuable role in stimulating innovative approaches to carbon reduction. It is helping to compensate for some of the problems in the ‘compliance market’: “One of the strengths of the voluntary market… is its ability to be a source of ‘innovation’ for the credits and projects operating outside the compliance market…Often voluntary market projects have more ‘value-added’ characteristics than those found in the compliance market, such as additional environmental or sustainability benefits.” (p.16)
The government should recognise the value of voluntary emissions reductions projects and include them in its proposed code: “We recommend strongly that the government think again about its proposed code... it must produce a voluntary code based on all credit types which will recognise the important role that the voluntary market has to play in counterbalancing the flaws of the compliance market.”(p.53)
A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the Committee’s website.