How One Family's Love For The Land Became An Iconic Festival | BBC Earth At Glastonbury

Summary

The speaker, a co-organizer of a festival with a rich family farming history, shares the evolution of the festival from a small, intimate gathering to a large-scale event spanning ten farms. Emphasis is placed on green initiatives, including a ban on single-use plastic bottles and the introduction of water in cans and refill stations. The festival's appeal as a family-friendly event is highlighted, with a focus on reducing waste and encouraging sustainable practices. The speaker expresses the joy of the festival's atmosphere, particularly the excitement of attendees' arrival, which creates a unique and fulfilling experience.

Takeaways

• 🌾 The speaker's family has been farming in Somerset for over 200 years, indicating a deep-rooted connection to the land and its traditions.
• 🏕 The festival, started by the speaker's father in 1970, has grown significantly from occupying two fields to expanding across ten farms.
• 🚗 The festival's evolution has seen changes in how attendees arrive and camp, with a shift from leaving cars next to tents to more organized parking and camping arrangements.
• 🌱 The festival organizers are committed to green initiatives, aiming to reduce waste and promote environmentally conscious practices among festival-goers.
• 🚫 This year, the festival has banned the sale of single-use plastic bottles, reflecting a strong stance against plastic pollution.
• 🥤 To combat plastic waste, the festival is selling water in cans and providing 60 refill points for attendees to refill their containers.
• 🔄 The transition to a more sustainable festival model is expected to take a few years to fully implement and perfect.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The festival is family-friendly, with children admitted for free, emphasizing an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.
• 🧳 Organizers are encouraging attendees to pack light and minimize the use of disposable items, such as wet wipes, to reduce the environmental impact.
• 🎉 The speaker finds the best feeling in the world when the festival site transforms into a bustling city of celebration, highlighting the joy and excitement of the event.
• 🌟 The unique and special aspect of the festival is attributed to the positive attitude of the festival-goers and the collective atmosphere they create.

Q & A

How long has the Worthy Farm been in the family?

The Worthy Farm has been in the family for over 200 years.

When did the festival at Worthy Farm begin?

The festival at Worthy Farm began in 1970, started by the speaker's father, Michael.

What was the initial size of the festival when it started?

The festival initially occupied only two fields and was quite small.

How has the festival expanded over the years?

The festival has expanded to occupy ten farms and beyond, including car parks and additional facilities.

What are the green initiatives being implemented at the festival?

The festival is focusing on green initiatives such as banning the sale of single-use plastic bottles, incentivizing less waste, and encouraging conscious packing.

What changes are being made to the sale of water at the festival?

The festival is selling water in cans instead of single-use plastic bottles and has introduced 60 refill points.

What challenges did the organizers face when deciding to ban single-use plastic bottles?

The organizers faced the challenge of getting all the soft drink companies, traders, wholesalers, and everyone involved on board with the ban.

How is the festival making the transition to more sustainable practices?

The festival is making the transition by implementing changes gradually, learning from the first couple of years, and asking attendees to be conscious of their packing and use of disposable items.

What is the policy regarding children's admission to the festival?

Children are allowed to enter the festival for free.

What is the best feeling for the speaker about the festival?

The best feeling for the speaker is when people arrive on Wednesday, turning the festival site into a city of celebration with an amazing atmosphere.

What makes the festival special and unique according to the speaker?

The festival's uniqueness comes from the attitude of the festival-goers and the atmosphere they create every year.

Outlines

00:00

🌾 Farming Roots and Festival Evolution

The speaker reflects on their upbringing on a farm in Somerset that has been in the family for over 200 years. They reminisce about the tranquility of their childhood, exploring the fields and now seeing their own children grow up in the same environment. The festival, which began in 1970 and was initially small, occupying only two fields, has expanded significantly over time. It now spans across ten farms and includes initiatives to reduce waste and promote sustainability, such as banning single-use plastic bottles and offering water in cans with refill stations. The speaker emphasizes the collaborative effort required to implement these changes, involving soft drink companies, traders, and wholesalers. They also mention the challenges of managing a family-friendly festival with the expectation of attendees to minimize disposable items like wet wipes.

Keywords

💡Festival

A festival is a time of celebration, often involving music, food, and cultural activities. In the context of the video, the festival is a significant event organized by the speaker and their father, Michael, and has evolved over time. The festival's expansion from occupying two fields to ten farms illustrates its growth and the community's involvement.

💡Farm

A farm is a piece of land used for growing crops or raising livestock. The video script mentions that the speaker's family has been farming in Somerset for over 200 years, indicating a deep connection to the land and a rural lifestyle. The farm is central to the family's identity and the festival's setting.

💡Green Initiatives

Green initiatives refer to actions or strategies aimed at reducing an environmental impact and promoting sustainability. The video discusses the festival's efforts to implement green initiatives, such as banning single-use plastic bottles and encouraging conscious packing, showcasing a commitment to environmental responsibility.

💡Single-Use Plastic Bottles

Single-use plastic bottles are containers designed to be used once and then discarded. The video script highlights the festival's decision to ban the sale of these bottles as part of their green initiatives, emphasizing a shift towards more sustainable practices and reducing waste.

💡Refill Points

Refill points are stations where people can refill their water containers, reducing the need for single-use bottles. The video mentions 60 refill points, indicating a significant effort to provide sustainable alternatives and encourage attendees to reduce their plastic waste.

💡Conscious Packing

Conscious packing involves carefully considering the environmental impact of the items one brings to an event. The video encourages festival-goers to pack consciously, avoiding single-use items, which aligns with the festival's green initiatives and aims to minimize waste.

💡Family Festival

A family festival is an event designed to be inclusive and enjoyable for people of all ages. The video script notes that the festival is appealing to families, with children admitted free of charge, emphasizing the event's welcoming and inclusive nature.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain a practice or process over the long term without depleting resources or causing environmental harm. The video's discussion of green initiatives and waste reduction efforts reflects a commitment to sustainable practices at the festival.

💡Cattle

Cattle are domesticated ungulates raised for various purposes, including meat and dairy products. In the video, cattle are mentioned as part of the farm's ecosystem, illustrating the agricultural aspect of the family's livelihood and the festival's rural setting.

💡Somerset

Somerset is a county in South West England known for its rural landscapes and agricultural activities. The video script mentions Somerset as the location of the farm and festival, providing a geographical context and emphasizing the event's connection to the local community and environment.

💡Community

Community refers to a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. The video script implies a strong sense of community through the shared history of farming, the festival's evolution, and the collective efforts to make the event more sustainable, highlighting the importance of community involvement and spirit.

Highlights

The speaker grew up on a farm that has been in the family for over 200 years.

The festival was started by the speaker's father, Michael, in 1970.

The festival has grown from occupying two fields to expanding across ten farms.

The festival is now co-organized by the speaker and their father.

The speaker's children are also growing up on the farm, continuing the family tradition.

The festival has evolved significantly over the years.

Green initiatives are a priority, aiming to reduce waste and encourage sustainable practices.

The sale of single-use plastic bottles is banned at the festival.

Water is sold in cans, and there are 60 refill points to encourage reuse.

It took a year of work to get all stakeholders on board with the ban on single-use plastic bottles.

The festival is family-friendly, with children admitted for free.

The festival encourages attendees to pack consciously and minimize disposable items.

The speaker describes the best feeling as when people arrive, transforming the site into a city of celebration.

The atmosphere and attitude of festival-goers create a unique and special experience.

The festival aims to contribute to a fulfilling and happy life for attendees.

The speaker expresses the joy of seeing the festival site come to life with excitement and anticipation.

Transcripts

I have grown up here and worthy farm I

now co-organized festival with my dad

Michael who started it in 1970 well

we've been farmers hid here for over 200

years

so the nature and the land and the trees

and the grass and the cattle in there

the birds is all part of them really

where we've been only somerset is ruled

by farms growing up here was very quiet

and very peaceful we spent a lot of time

just roaming the fields to be honest and

now my children here growing up on the

farm like I did so it's lovely the

festival when I was growing up was quite

small pretty much just occupied these

two fields people used to drive up leave

their car there camp next to their tent

now it's expanded to occupy ten farms

and beyond really with car parks the

festivals you know quite different now

and a lots happened to it I suppose over

the evolution we're always thinking of

green initiatives we want to incentivize

people to leave less waste to pack

consciously to not buy single-use items

that they will just be disposing of or

leaving here this year we're banning the

sale of single-use plastic bottles if

you were just saying cuz there's no way

you're gonna be able to do this because

we had to get all the soft drink

companies and all of the traders and all

of the wholesalers and everybody on

board we've been working in 2018 all

year it's been a vast huge job but it's

so satisfying to be able to say that we

can do it

we're selling water in cans instead

we're also having 60 refill points so

we've got a combination of kiosks or you

can do like a self-service and I think

it will probably take two to three years

for something to really kind of bed in

because it's so large so we'll be

learning a lot from the first couple of

years

I'd say it's quite appealing as a family

festival kids are free and everything's

free when you get here but it's quite

hard to pack light when you're bringing

lots of small children um but we are

asking people to use less disposable

items like wet wipes you know you just

have to that consider these things cuz

we've got so many items we're left with

and we're really asking people just from

the very first stage to be aware and

conscious of what they're packing the

best feeling for me is when people

arrive on the Wednesday because the city

just fells the festival site turns into

this enormous city of like celebration

and just the atmosphere is just so

amazing and high and people are so

excited to be here and that is the

moment where you go this is like the

best place in the world it's amazing

like the attitude of the festival goers

and the whole atmosphere that they

create every year that's what's really

special and unique about it I mean we

all want to live and to love and and

have great lives and and to feel

fulfilled and feel happy and satisfied

with our contribution to life

and enema what / - hyung has it's unfair

[Laughter]

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[Applause]

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