Despite the fact that I read in the paper yesterday that it is too early to write off the British summer, I am becoming increasingly resigned to the fact that it is going to be a complete wash-out. After a fabulous April, May was mixed, but June and the beginning of July have been horrendous. While we were experiencing unseasonal weather conditions in Northern Ireland at the end of June, much of England was experiencing some of the worst flooding in years and Glastonbury was a predictable mud-bath.
An item on the Countryfile programme this morning highlighted the environmental impact of festivals (of which there are about 400 this summer) including the amount of rubbish and leftover belongings scattering the Glastonbury site. This included 10,000 tents, and not all of them of the cheap pop-up variety. I was astounded at the waste! Furthermore, I (along with those who leave their tents behind I guess) assumed these would be recycled, but many end up as landfill. I suppose there are just too many of them. People should be ashamed of themselves!
Yesterday we went to an event that was part of Garforth Arts festival called 'Playground Party' We went because there were some good acts on, including Eliza Carthy and the Ratcatchers, Kate Rusby and Courtney Pine (we didn't stay for him). However, it was a small event attended mainly by local people and I was quite surprised at the calibre of musicians they had got to play there. One of the good things about it was that there was hardly any rubbish lying around. Most people seemed to be disposing of it responsibly and a group of young people were also going around collecting waste.
The item on Countryfile raised the issue of whether urban festivals were more environmental, and I have to say that the Garforth event did seem to have less of an environmental impact. Mind you, I had to drive there as the trains stop so bloody early, which was a shame as I do like to use public transport where possible.
If the powers-that-be really are serious about wanting us to 'go green' they should make it easy for us such as having a truly affordable integrated public transport system, collecting ALL our recyclable waste (see my blog 20 May 2007) and stop hectoring us!
Meanwhile, back to the weather. What plans can we make for future festivals and camping trips with all this damn rain? Fields and parks are so waterlogged still that casualties already include the Bradford Mela, the Mytholmroyd Gala, and possibly the Huddersfield carnival. Hardly earth-shattering events I grant you, but the fact that they're not going ahead makes the crappy summer even more dismal. So now we will probably plan an escape to the Med., but so is everyone else so what hope for a cheap bargain? Oh well, I guess if we don't go abroad we can feel smug about the size of our 'carbon footprint (sic).
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