Tents, toilets, transport: eco-friendly festivals tackle the unholy trinity

Event organisers have already gone to war on plastic bottles and diesel generators, with the full support of music fansWhen Chris Johnson first started putting on outdoor parties with his mates, they were small, impromptu and shambolic - or "really good fun", as he puts it. Seventeen years later and he and the same four university friends are still pioneering in their field of partying, albeit Shambala is now a four-day festival in rural Northamptonshire with 15,000 people that has set an industry standard for its eco-credentials."We're a purpose-led organisation, the point of it existing is to contribute something to the world," says Johnson, "and the environment is an important part of our outlook; we have a responsibility - but also an opportunity to experiment." Continue reading...