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A revolutionary tent which staves off nasty weather and horrible drunks
Happy campers
Packing up your rucksack for a weekend of mud and music? Kirstin Innes writes you an eco- friendly festival shopping list
ever mind Kasabian at Connect or Shaky at Glasto, the real headliner at this year‘s festivals is the environment, stupid. The ecological impact of 80.000—odd people producing a huge amount of concentrated waste is immense but festivals are offsetting the carbon emissions produced by flying in acts and setting up big stages. T in the Park, which in 2006 became the first official CarbonNeutral festival. is this year taking steps to diminish emissions. Here’s how festival-goers themselves can help:
Scrubbing up
Soap, shampoo and shower gel probably aren‘t top of your festival shopping list. you mucky pups. However, T in the Park are asking any hygiene-conscious campers out there to bring
only phosphate-free toiletries this year. Phosphates are a hot topic for environmental activists: if they get into a local water supply (such as the Loch Leven (‘onservation Area where T in the Park takes place). they can upset the balance of the whole area. killing wildlife and causing water stagnation.
(‘ompanies who produce phosphate-free toiletries include Lush and liaith in Nature. who also do a range of facial wipes (see opposite). Something you definitely ought to pack is your own supply of toilet paper: just make sure it's biodegradable. eh'.’ See opposite for suggestions. www.faithinnature.co.uk
Ititwisnaetoryerwellies... . where would you be'.’ Laid tip with a bad case of trench foot we suspect. The humble
PHOSPHATES ARE A HOT TOPIC FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACT IVISTS NOW
Benjamin 29, Teacher
k I like to be comfortable, but also kind of experimental. I like to
pus" the Sty!“ that me" rubber boot has risen up to status symbol these can “a” "me My ham?“ was do"? '" days and as with all fashion items. has a short someumes' Houand’ m a sma" c'ty shelf life. liither ease your conscience by buying
called Utrecht where I live at the moment. The T-shlrt is from a second hand store in New York City, in a little neighbourhood in Brooklyn called Williamsburg, and I got the bolt in Japan.
Dorothy Perkins‘ Plant More Trees wellies (see opposite). where £5 of the pricetag goes to the Woodland Trust who then plant a tree in the UK. or recycle: pack your old wellies off to l)unlop and they‘ll mash ‘em up to make new ones. (Send to: Old Wellies. l)unlop liootwear Ltd. lla/eldene Road. Liverpool. L9 ZBA)
The km, though, is an AmeriKilt, by an American designer! I saw a ‘men in skirts’
exhibition in a New York museum, and they had
suggestions of American designers you could buy from online. They’re great!
I’m actually only visiting Edinburgh, but I’ve just been shopping in
Armstrong: and I think
it’s awesome.
My shoes are also from New York, from a discount shoe store. The bag is actually from here, though, from Tesco, and just costs £1.
12 THE LIST 5—19 Jun 2008
. Carry on (cardboard) camping
(‘oncerned about the number of cheaply-bought. then abandoned tents ending up in landfill sites every year. young entrepreneur James l)unlop (he‘s 24. you know) came up with Myllab. It‘s essentially a cardboard tent. but incredibly durable. climate conditioned. water and drunkard-proof. lt‘s pre—erected for you in the cordoned off MyVillage area. the choicest bit of the campsite which boasts private hot showers and toilets. individual lockers and fitted bedding which is all later recycled by the company. ()h. and it costs £240 fora two-person ‘tent‘.
The idea has attracted a fair bit of sneering. and is taken as further evidence of the yuppilication of music festivals. but sornebody‘s certainly been buying into it. MyVillage at T in the Park has sold out. and veterans of The (ireat (‘onnect Mudbath of ‘07 will be particularly tempted. www.myhab.com