Global climate change continues to present the biggest threat to our planet. Here at Glastonbury Festival we are committed to reducing greenhouse emissions and using clean energy sources whenever possible. Please read on to learn more about our work to lower our carbon footprint.
Our work so far:
Incentivising green travel.
- To encourage Festival-goers to arrive by bus, our combined Festival and coach ticket packages are available to buy before standard entry tickets.
- Our sustainable travel-initiatives have helped over hundreds of thousands of ticket-holders travel to the Festival by bike or public transport. Each year, more than 40,000 ticket-holders take advantage of these for their Festival travel.
- We run regular free shuttle buses to and from Castle Cary railway station throughout the Festival.
Prioritising clean energy.
- In 2023 all of Glastonbury Festival’s power needs will be met by renewable energy and renewable fuels.
- All generators across the Festival site – including those that power the Pyramid Stage – will run on sustainable, renewable palm oil-free HVO fuel, made from waste cooking oil, helping to reduce lifecycle CO2e emissions by up to 90 percent.
- All production areas will either be powered by lower impact, fossil-fuel free electricity or will run on solar PV and battery hybrid systems.
- A temporary wind turbine, installed alongside a solar panel and battery system, will produce up to 300kWh of energy per day and power food stalls in Williams Green.
- Clean energy from the Festival’s own 250kWp solar PV array, as well as our anaerobic digester and 125kVA biogas plant power, provide energy for Festival offices and some production areas as well as helping to charge some battery systems.
- In order to reduce our on-site emissions, a small fleet of electric vehicles will be used to transport artists around the site to their performances.
- In 2010 Worthy Farm installed 1500 square meters of solar panels on the roof of the cattle shed. At the time, the 1,316 roof-mounted solar panels made this one of the largest privately owned solar photovoltaic systems in the country.
- Since their inception in 1984, The Green Fields – including the 1000-capacity Croissant Neuf stage – have continued to be run on renewable solar, wind and pedal power.
- In late 2018, Worthy Farm installed a new anaerobic digester. The anaerobic digester transforms farm waste into renewable energy that powers Worthy Farm and Festival offices year round as well as some production areas during the Festival.
- Where possible, battery systems are deployed and charged directly by these onsite farm renewables through the mains power grid or via temporary solar power systems. All mains power onsite is supplied from fully certified renewable energy sources.
- Glastonbury Festival offices on Worthy Farm are heated by a ground source heat pump.
- 185 low energy led tower lights are used on site.
Improving infrastructure to cut down on transport emissions.
- There is an on-site Wholesale Market to reduce food miles and cut down on delivery vehicles.
- With 2 million litres of water stored in its reservoirs and 7km of on-site private water mains, Glastonbury Festival’s water needs can be met through its own mains water supply and no water needs to be transported to the Festival by tanker.
What you can do:
With your help we can do even more to bring down our greenhouse gas emissions. With over 200,000 people at the Festival, these are small steps that bring us closer to a greener, cleaner world.
- Please use public transport, cycle or car-share to Glastonbury Festival. Car exhaust is the greatest contributor to the Festival’s greenhouse gases. By car-sharing, or better still, using public transport or cycling to the Festival, we can hugely reduce the amount of pollution produced.
- Save energy at home. While you’re at Glastonbury Festival, unplug your telly and other non-essential appliances and switch off unnecessary lights. Please also consider using LED light bulbs and switching to an energy supplier that commits to clean, renewable energy sources.