Glastonbury Festival

Greenpeace

Greenpeace @ Glastonbury 2004

Firstly let's see what Glastonbury Festival thought about us this year. In a Press Release which went out before the festival they said:

"The Glastonbury Festival is the best known, largest single site music festival in the world. But that’s not what makes it different.

Since people first started coming to Worthy Farm, there’s been more to the festival than the mere matter of the world’s best bands. Glastonbury is proud of its long partnership with people and groups that try to make the world a better place, and for the last few years we’ve worked especially closely with Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid.

For each of the last two years the Festival has donated over £1 million to these groups and many other local causes. We’ve highlighted campaigns and global issues, and as a result of the intense global media interest in the Festival we’ve been able to shed a little light on some of the less fortunate areas of our world.

But it’s no good getting worthy about the world if we don’t take care of things here at Worthy Farm. For this year’s festival the aim is to engage all our resources, our sponsors and our charity partners into one, simple ‘back to basics’ environmental message - a cleaner, greener Glastonbury.

We’ll be highlighting our official environmental policy, taking progressive steps to cut waste and litter and encourage recycling. And we’ll be progressively restricting vehicle movements by including a traffic free zone.'

For one week in June, the eyes of the world are upon us again, and we will be engaging resources into one single message. Under the banner ‘working together for a greener Glastonbury’

Greenpeace think all of us, the six billion that inhabit this planet, could live dignified lives and respect the planet we share if things were a little different, if everyone had access to the basic things we need in life There’s no need for the poverty and environmental destruction we see around us, it’s caused by an exploitation that has no regard for the people it affects and the natural world it destroys.

Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid work all around the world in very different ways to alleviate the effects of that exploitation and, just as importantly, to stop it happening in the first place. Across five continents we stand up to the people who abuse our world, and stand up for those on the losing end. But over the last weekend in June we get to go to Glastonbury and between bands get to tell people how they can help.

For the 2004 Glastonbury festival, Greenpeace organised, constructed and ran the Greenpeace field which this year included:-

A 24-hour organic café - which we subsidised. Hot solar-assisted showers enjoyed by over 10,000 people. A skateboard ramp which we built from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) timber. A sensational climbing wall, also constructed entirely from FSC timber, with a number of runs - from easy to very hard - which was enjoyed by hundreds of adults and children. Two enchanting gardens for relaxation that also hosted workshops, talks and advice from The Soil Association, The Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA) and The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT). The ever-popular 'Soulmates' run in association with The Guardian was once again a favourite, where singles could meet their match and where this year 100 couples were 'married.'

The Greenpeace campaigns that were highlighted and promoted at this years festival included:-

The Climate campaign -Where Yes2Wind displayed proposed and existing windfarms and signed up hundreds of pro-wind supporters. The G-Wiz /Juice electric car was on show and renewable energy promoted. A stall was made available to us next to the Pyramid Stage which also highlighted this issue.

The Oceans campaign - produced and staffed an informative Oceans exhibition within the whale and showers venue and communicated the threats to our Oceans and its inhabitants. The Forests campaign where our climbing wall and skateboard ramp used and promoted FSC wood and exhibition banners promoted the Save or Delete rainforest campaign.

Extensive signage throughout the site in the form of colourful graphic display banners further highlighted current campaigns and Greenpeaces work together with various artforms. Active supporters were encouraged to join and we recruited a record 815 new supporters.

We conducted an auction backstage of paintings of Glastonbury 2003 donated by the Cornish artist Kurt Jackson which to date has raised almost £13,000 and staffed a public engagement stand backstage to make contact with and raise awareness of Greenpeace amongst the media and industry guests.

In addition to this work we advised and encouraged Glastonbury Festival to 'Green Up its Act' which it did this year starting with the festival theme, 'Working together for a Greener Glastonbury.' Greenpeace drew up a procurement policy for contractors and suppliers outling more desirable products and practices which Glastonbury Festival circulated. We also provided 100 Greenpeace volunteers to Network Recycling where they were responsible for litter clearance from the Pyramid and Other Stage arenas for the first time.

Greenpeace worked with the other two major ngo's, Oxfam and WaterAid to build on the awareness of their campaign work whilst at Glastonbury and to develop further initiatives which are of mutual benefit to themselves and to the festival.

In return and thanks to Michael's generosity, Greenpeace received a donation of over £200,000 the balance of which went into Greenpeace campaign funds.

Thank to everyone for helping to achieve this best ever year at Glastonbury.

Bob Wilson
Special Events Unit
Greenpeace UK

Greenpeace means exactly that, campaigning for a green and peaceful world. Glastonbury’s association with the peace movement goes back almost to its foundations and its association with the green movement for nearly as long. Greenpeace brings together a global organisation with a solutions agenda for both people and the environment. And at Glastonbury you can get a real taste of the future whether it is eating organic food or having a solar assisted shower. And whatever you touch or use whether it is ancient forest friendly furniture or toxic free lotions Greenpeace has the solution. And when it comes to campaigning you can both sign up for clean, renewable energy and join a campaign in your area for more renewable energy that will link you to campaigns stretching from Brazil to China.

Greenpeace has played a pivotal role in, among other things, the adoption of:

● a ban on toxic waste exports to less developed countries.
● a moratorium on commercial whaling.
● a United Nations convention providing for better management of world fisheries.
● a Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
● a 50-year moratorium on mineral exploitation in Antarctica.
● bans on the dumping at sea of radioactive and industrial waste and disused oil installations.
● an end to high-sea, large-scale driftnet fishing.
● a ban on all nuclear weapons testing - our first ever campaign.

Find out more about Greenpeace and how you can get involved at www.greenpeace.org.uk

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