VIEWPOINT: Ben Chalis.

Co-founder of www.agreenerfestival.com

I ALMOST WEPT WHEN I GOT TO THE FERRY PORT on the Isle of Wight after this year's Bestival and faced a mountain of muddy wellington boots left behind by happy punters.

Quite frankly, this is more a sign of our disposable society than the environmental credentials of festivals themselves and, as I had just travelled to and from the Isle of Wight by tube, train, ferry and shuttle bus, I felt quite pleased with my own carbon footprint.

Bestival should have been quite pleased with their efforts to `green up' the festival, despite the somewhat adverse wet conditions that weekend. Anyway, wellington boots can be recycled and, overall, 2008 proved to be the year when the festival circuit in the UK and Europe really rose to the challenge of going green.

Climate change and the environment are clearly big news, and festivals and the music industry receive disproportionate coverage in the national press, with artists such as Radiohead, KT Tunstall and Jack Johnson seen as credible advocates of sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices.

Festivals have to `talk the talk' and `walk the walk' and you know what? They seem to be getting there.

To be fair, festivals such as Glastonbury and the Big Green Gathering have championed the environment for some time now, and more and more festivals are getting actively engaged in managing their events to reduce their environmental impact.