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Nottingham's Splendour festival on July 24 at Wollaton Park is setting a new challenge this year as an environmental champion.

 

Reducing litter, recycling waste, providing locally sourced and ethical foods and protecting the natural environment are topping 2010 Splendour's green line-up.

 

Nottingham City Council is entering Splendour in the national Greener Festival award given each year for events that are managed in the greenest possible way.

 

The award also covers travel and transport and considers efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, support for green initiatives and environmental protection, noise management and office management which involves simple things like encouraging a 'turn off and save energy' policy on the site and in the offices of organisers and those taking part.

 

It involves simple things like promoting the use of public transport, environmental charities and encouraging a 'turn off and save energy' policy on the site and in the offices of organisers and those taking part.

 

The City Council has already asked food and drink suppliers to use biodegradable and recyclable containers for food and drinks as much possible and to use fair trade and locally sourced produce. It is aiming to reduce litter by designing seating areas with plenty of litter bins.

 

Wollaton Park is well served with public transport and the city council encourages festival-goers to use local bus services to get to and from the site. At the end of the event shuttle buses are laid on to take people back to the city centre.

 

Sensitive wildlife and the historic buildings in the park will be fully protected from negative impacts and more detailed work will include a carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emission analysis and looking at offsetting emissions in a charitable offset scheme. An independent auditor will visit the festival to assess the festival's green credentials.

 

Splendour provided a fantastic day of music and fun last year, attracting a sell-out crowd of 13,000. Recycling facilities were in place for traders' paper and cardboard and recycling pods were put in across the park to collect bottles and cans.

 

Councillor Dave Trimble, Nottingham City Council's Portfolio holder for Leisure, Culture and Customers, said: "The environmental management for Splendour is a big project. We made a good start last year and built on it at Goose Fair. At future events we will look at providing locally sourced and Fairtrade ethical foods, support environmental charities, additional green initiatives and encourage people to have fun volunteering for a green cause.

 

As a council we are committed to developing the best good practice environmentally and we are in the process of developing an environmental and waste policy for all our events. Even if we don't gain the award this year, working towards it will put us in a good position for the future."



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