8 Tips For a More Sustainable Festival Season - whilst saving money

Who doesn’t love a summer music festival? That’s why we’ve teamed up with sustainable lifestyle expert, Nicole Wykes, to take us through some quick wins for an eco-friendly festival experience. They also have the added bonus of being extremely kind to your wallet.

Festival season is well and truly underway. It’s a summer staple for 2022 as we can finally let loose and enjoy music together again. We all love a good festival, but they can come at a costly price for the planet. Every year, UK festival goers spend around £1.2bn on food, clothes and merchandise. They also produce an average of 23,500 tonnes of waste yearly!

So, in a-bid to all do our bit for the planet, here are a few tips to have a more sustainable festival season this year.

Go Green There are some festivals that have green credentials, how cool?! If this tickles your fancy, then check out festivals such as Shambala in the UK or We Love Green in France. Whilst you’re researching, use Ecosia as your search engine because for every search you make, the Ecosia community plant trees.

Toiletry alternatives I know the mini toiletries in plastic are convenient and small, but there are a lot of alternatives on the market that are better for you, the planet and your wallet!

Opt for reusable make up pads instead of wipes, natural sun cream, refillable deodorant sticks, bamboo toothbrush and toothpaste tablets. They often last a lot longer than regular products so you can save them for holidays too. Some great websites to shop for eco toiletries are: https://plasticfreedom.co.uk/ https://www.wearewild.com/ https://ecovibe.co.uk

Switch Off It’s reported that UK households could save an average of £147 per year if certain appliances were turned off. With energy bills going through the roof, save the pennies whilst you’re away and switch off your wifi and appliances before making your way to the festival. Easy!

Remember your Pack-a-Mac Us Brits know the drill. I’d love to order the sun for your festival but the UK is often out of stock, so remember your waterproofs and ditch having to spend money on a plastic, disposable poncho when you’re there, which are often just used once and thrown away! A few of my favourite sustainable jacket brands are: https://www.fjallraven.com/uk/en-gb/about-fjallraven/materials/eco-shell https://www.napapijri.co.uk/ https://bambooclothing.co.uk/?q=womens%20waterproof%20jackets

Refill your bottle Don’t forget your reusable water bottle. So many festivals now have water refill stations dotted about. Bottled water can cost a small fortune at festivals, plus, the amount of plastic waste produced at festivals is alarming. I don’t go anywhere without my ‘Chilly’s’ water bottle and reusable coffee cup - they’ve both lasted me years so that’s a great brand to check out if you need a new one. https://www.chillys.com/uk

Leave No Trace It goes without saying that whatever you take, you bring home. But that also includes your tent. A survey by ‘Love Your Tent’s’ found that over 60% of people have admitted to leaving their tent behind once the festival is over! The tents are often just scrapped and sent to landfill. Tents last for years, so make sure to take it home and keep reusing it. A good quality tent can be quite pricey, though. How about going quids-in with a few friends and investing in a decent one that you could all share? The higher the quality, the longer it’ll last and means you can get some camping trips planned too…

Car Share or Public Transport With the price of petrol skyrocketing, sharing lifts between friends may be a good idea. Top tip - if you accelerate more gently and drive at the highest gear possible for the speed you’re going, it saves on fuel. If you opt for public transport, have a search for group train tickets as this usually works out a lot cheaper. If you’re travelling alone and have a long train journey with multiple changes, you can use SplitSave on the Trainline app to save money. Queues for parking are always SO big for festivals, so it may save you time, too.

These are just a few ways to make festival season a little more planet friendly. Let us know of any more eco tips you have @zopamoney

Have the best eco summer of music!