Following a few stories on the music industry’s need to cut-down carbon emissions as a result of these festivals we thought we’d offer our readers some tips on how to help out and make your own festival trips more eco-friendly.

The Green Tent Company offers tents which can be easily recycled. Most tents are made from lots of different materials and it is therefore not economically viable to split them up and recycle them. The Green Tent Company make sure that all their tents are made in such a way that they can be easily recycled when they can no longer be used. The Green Tent Company is available for festivals across the country, including V Festival, Weston Park, West Midlands.

Getting there can be greener too with the Big Green Coach. Festival goers’ travel emissions account for a massive 45% of a music event’s carbon footprint, meaning that sharing a ride or getting on the Big Green Coach will make a huge difference.

The Big Green Coach also promises that for every full coach a donation will be made to Trees for Cities and a new tree will be built, helping to counter-act the pollution of larger cities and bringing a taste of the countryside into some urban settings.

For all your festival attire try Ascension and their range of fairtrade, organic and recycled clothing and accessories. They can provide it all from dresses and raincoats to summer hats and funky scarves. Ascension help to improve the lives of workers in poorer countries by sourcing fairtrade products but they also make use of designers and craftspeople in the UK so as to avoid shipping and flying products from further afield every time. They avoid using chemically treated materials which are harmful to the environment and make use of natural and sustainable alternative fibres that don’t require chemicals, such as silk, linen, hemp, nettle and even bamboo.

There are many things that festival-goers can do to help the music industry decrease its carbon footprint and if you don’t want to take any of the options mentioned here, simply clearing up your rubbish and taking your tent with you instead of leaving it in the field can make a big difference this summer.

McBride, is an international road-race star and is one of the UK’s most experienced racers, having taken part in the North West 200, Ulster GP, Macau GP and numerous classes in the Isle of Man TT races.

This latest race, however, puts McBride in lesser know territory. As a rider of a traditional 1000cc motorbike, which weighs around 165 kilos and produces up to 200 brake horsepower, McBride must now get used to an electric motorbike for the clean-emission TT Zero race. McBride comments:

“On my 1000cc bike we’ve been speed-trapped at 185-190mph down Sulby Straight – the fastest part of the TT course. With the electric bike in comparison, we have around 40 brake horsepower and a top speed of around 112mph. Riding it is very different as we only have one gear.

“It’s also different for the spectators, who are used to the sound of an engine at high-revs and with a loud exhaust to give maximum performance. Instead, there’s a quiet, laid-back ‘whizz’ of just the chain and the noise from the tyres!”

So it seems that the electric motorbikes don’t just cut down on carbon emissions, but also noise pollution. The one-lap TT Zero race will take place on Wednesday 9 June at 4:30pm.

Tony Way, Managing Director of The Green Insurance Company says:

“The link-up between James, the team, TT Zero and The Green Insurance Company is a marriage made in heaven. The Green Insurance Company is for motorcyclists and drivers who want more than just low-cost insurance and we’re committed to supporting eco-friendly racing in every way we can.”

The Green Insurance Company is available to customers directly or through Birmingham based broker Express Insurance Services Limited.

Express provide car, van and bike insurance to customers across the country and have recently signed The Green Insurance Company as one of their insurers in a bid to improve their customers’ carbon footprints.

The Green Insurance Company provides motorbike insurance to Express customers and helps them to do their bit for the environment by offsetting 100% of their bikes’ harmful emissions. Bikers are also able to get a further 5% low emission discount if they ride a greener bike and/or complete lower mileage.

Bikers who would certainly be receiving low emission discounts are those racing in the 2010 UK TTXGP, the world’s first all-electric motorcycle championship, for which The Green Insurance Company is the official insurance partner. In order to qualify, entrants must boast zero toxic and noxious emissions from their bikes.

Tony Way, Managing Director of The Green Insurance Company said:

“The UK TTXGP will open a unique chapter in the development and history of zero carbon technology amongst the biker community and we’re delighted to be associated.”

Emma Jones, Marketing Executive at Express Insurance said:

“These electric bikes are quite possibly the future, people didn’t think that Japanese bikes would do very well and now they make up most of the market, it is only a matter of time before electric bikes catch-on, with more and more people expressing a concern for reducing their own carbon emissions.”

The 2010 UK TTXGP begins at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on 3 and 4 July.

The scheme has been running for the past few months and is part of the ASDA pledge to send zero wast to landfill by 2010. It means that shoppers are no longer able to take an unlimited number of plastic carrier bags but must buy a Bag for Life, costing 5p per bag, in the hope of encouraging people to re-use them. There are also carrier bag recycling facilities in all ASDA stores, as another attempt to cut down the amount of bags being sent to landfill.

ASDA customers’ carrier bag usage stood at 2.2 billion per year according to figures from 2007 on the ASDA website. The scheme aims to reduce this by about 15%.

There is no doubting the good intentions of this scheme in looking after the environment. However, we wanted to know what the average shopper thought of the scheme and whether or not they felt that it was helping the environment or just plain annoying. See the audio slide-show for the full responses.

Many of the people asked said that they do manage to re-use their bags and that the scheme is beneficial to the environment as, without it, they would be using the small carrier bags and throwing them away. However, some shoppers expressed a concern in having to pay for them and said that it’s relatively annoying if they forget them because then they end up with more than they need or have to make-do without.

On the whole, most people agreed that the ASDA Bag for Life scheme is a positive step towards reducing their carbon footprint and in encouraging them to re-use and recycle their bags.

Philip Green, owner of the Arcadia group, which incorporates Topshop/Topman, has refused to sign up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which works in partership with a number of retailers to help improve the lives of workers worldwide.

His reluctance to join the initiative, falling behind competitiors such as River Island, Debenhams and ASOS.com, emphasises the fact that he makes use of swesatshop workers who are paid below the minimum wage, even on the clothes which have been awarded the Fairtrade mark.

What is fairtrade?

For an item of clothing to be given the Fairtrade mark the materials have to have been bought from farmers in the developing world at a fair price, meaning no lower than the market price.

The Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) certifies a product as Fairtrade based on the fact that a company has given a better deal to the producers involved.

However, it is what happens to the Fairtrade materials after they have been bought which is concerning as manufacturing a T-shirt in a sweatshop and calling it Fairtrade is a massive contradiction.

Professional critisism

Philip Green and the Arcadia group have had a lot of critisism from people and companies with ethical interests. Christopher Woods, from Birmingham-based Fairtrade company Revolver World, points out that the benefits of using materials from Fairtrade crops is lost when sweatshops are involved. He says

“The entire Fairtrade clothing sector has contracted over the past 12-18 months, with the double blow of increased costs and very large retailers buying entire crops of Fairtrade cotton from India, before moving it over to sweatshops in other countries for manufacture.

By doing so, they can bring the price of the finished clothing right down to around that of a regular cotton T-shirt.

This may be good for the customer, but it harms the efforts of Faritrade.”

Christopher also explains that paying a little bit extra for an item of clothing which is guaranteed to have been produced in an ethical way from start ot finish is worth the money;

‘A revolver World organic Fairtrade-certified T-shirt is not the same as a regular £3.50 T-shirt from Topman; our shirts are guaranteed to be manufactured under sweatshop-free conditions with employees earning a fair wage.

We think that because out shirts are made under fair working conditions, thay are of a higher overall quality as well.’

Preserving fairtrade

The way to look after the Fairtrade fashion industry is to be aware that you can’t always take the Fairtrade mark as a confirmation that an item of clothing is 100% ethical.

The way to be sure is to stick to the independent Fairtrade clothing manufacturers, such as Revolver World or check out the ETI members page for a list of ethical retailers you can trust.

As a Fairtrade city, it is important for the people of Birmingham to continue spreading the word of ‘the big swap’ now that the Fairtrade Fortnight is over, by supporting local causes and leading the way to a truely Fairtrade future.

Her chic shop, located in Piccadilly Arcade, New Street, is full of glamorous goodies with a twist; she makes everything out of recycled materials. This includes fabric from the ends of rolls, which most would just discard, parts from vintage and charity shop finds and even plastic bottles.

Palvika took an unconventional route into fashion; originally a medical student, she made a new path for herself through a course in Textiles and the Esthetica mentoring scheme.

Her designs have been globally inspired thorough personal observations on her travels through Europe, India and Africa and each item in her range is as individual as the last.

She has a genuine interest in environmental issues, particularly those in the local area, saying

“I am always on the look-out for other eco-friendly designers in Birmingham but it’s hard to know what’s out there.

I had a lot of support from ethical outlets such as The Body Shop, Shared Earth and Costa for my menswear launch party which was fantastic.”

Palvika told us that over 120 people attended the menswear launch, where there was also an exclusive performance from Chaka Khan,

“I once designed the outfits for her backing dancers so she gave a great performance for my launch.

People were literally lined up outside the door of my shop to get a look at the new range, it was a big success!”

The Palvika store is full of great ethical products at affordable prices and is well worth a visit.

She even invites you to do your bit for eco-friendly fashion by donating your unwanted buttons, pieces of fabric, sequins, etc. Palvika keeps a box of these knik-knaks under her counter, in case inspiration should strike at any moment.

Who knows, your old belt buckle could become the finishing touch to a new designer bag!

Starting this Saturday (6th March) the centre are running weekly sessions to teach energy enthusiasts how to cut down on their usage in order to save money as well as helping them to preserve the environment.

The course will run for four weeks and spaces are limited so booking is essential.

Ecocentre Manager, Georgia Stokes, said:

“We will focus on teaching useful skills, such as taking meter readings and understanding bills, as well as offering general tips and advice on how to save money.

We will also look at bigger plans for the future, such as making use of solar panels and other such renewable sources of energ and at the end of the course people will go away with an energy folder full of fact-sheets, ideas and an action plan.”

The Nothfield Ecocentre strives to educate the community on all aspects of sustainable living and runs a number of different groups and events for all ages.

To book your place on this course or for more information on the centre itself call 0121 448 0119 or visit the website.

Based in the West Midlands, this Fairtrade certified clothing manufacturer works exclusively with Fairtrade cotton producers in India, including Assisi Organics, and guarantees clothing produced in sweatshop-free conditions resulting in top quality Fairtrade fashion at affordable prices.

They have also recently teamed up with the Co-Operative who now stock their T-shirts in shops across the region.

Revolver World spokesman, Christopher Woods, says:

“Now that our core products are well established, we’ve started to plan some new lines, including rugby tops, jerseys and accessories, to complement our existing range of T-shirts and hoodies.”

Their range of clothing was available at the Revolver World market stall on Saturday as well as a selection of products from other companies with the same ethical ethos.

Revolver World have been heavily involved with the Fairtrade Fortnight events and they even manufactured and printed the Fairtrade Association Birmingham’s official campaign T-shirts, in partnership with students from Birmingham City University.

Christopher added:

“We support other Birmingham-based Fairtrade companies; it’s very encouraging to know that companies throughout the West Midlands continue to see the value in committing to Fairtrade and we look forward to many years of offering high quality, organic Fairtrade apparel to the masses at truly fair prices.”

If you missed the market on Saturday you can find out more about Revolver World and purchase your Fairtrade T-shirt or hoodie online.