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Ten festivals worth digging your wellies out for this summer, from the Ecologist, part of the Guardian Environment Network.

The team EcoTrendSpotter have put togther an essential eco camping shopping list of  things you may need to take with you to make your green festival eco camping trip more comfotable.

Here is a guide to 10 top festivals at the green end of the spectrum

The Big Tent Festival

Scotland’s largest eco-festival set against the beautiful backdrop of Falkland Palace and East Lomond Hill. Initially launched as part of the grassroots protests during the G8 summit held at Gleneagles in 2005, the festival is dedicated to promoting ecological long term thinking and educating festival-goers about climate change. Eco-activities include the Climate Champions Zone, Earth Action Talks with WWF, the One Planet Food Village and environmental workshops.

When: 25 – 26 July
Where: Falkland estate, Fife
Price: £40 (adult weekend camping tickets)
www.bigtentfestival.co.uk/

The Big Green Gathering
Providing ‘entertainment and education for sustainability’ and ‘powered by the Sun, the Wind and the People,’ the Big Green Gathering was born out of Glastonbury’s legendary Green Fields. It now boasts musical acts powered by renewable energy, solar showers and fields dedicated to renewable energy, green enterprise, green craft, sustainable homes and more.
When: 29 July – 2 August
Where: Cheddar, Somerset
Price: £125 (adult five day camping pass)
www.big-green-gathering.com/

Croissant Neuf
Named after an East Anglian skiffle band whose members eventually formed a touring Green roadshow, the Croissant Neuf festival champions the ideal of living a low impact lifestyle whilst having the ‘maximum amount of fun.’ The festival’s attempts to reduce its environmental impacts encompass all areas from administration to waste management and promoting environmental awareness. All the electricity on site is generated by solar panels and wind generators, nearly everything is recycled, and the food and drink is organic, locally sourced and fairly traded where possible. Eco-activities include talks on renewable energy and sustainability, three trees planted on site for every car, Ode to Woodstock.
When: 14-16 August
Where: Usk, Monmouthshire
Price: £80
www.partyneuf.co.uk

Latitude
With a whole ‘green’ section on their website, the Latitude festival aims to get festival-goers to think about their environmental impact before they even get there. Initiatives include promoting ‘eco-travel,’ dissuading people from bringing, buying and leaving behind too many things, installing compost toilets, employing biodegradable packaging and shower products and using reusable beer cups.
When: 16-19 July
Where: Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk
Price: £150
www.latitudefestival.co.uk

Waveform
As a winner of the 2008 ‘Greener Festival Award,’ Waveform’s claim to fame is as the only sustainable dance music festival in the UK. It is gradually replacing biodiesel with pedal, solar and wind power generators. Its Green Village provides solar powered cinema viewing, healing sessions and organic local produce. In the Earth Dance Stage revelers partake in a day dedicated to humanitarian and environmental causes. Car sharing and recycling are also strongly encouraged and the event raises money for EcoShelter.
When: 11-13 September
Where: Liddington Warren Farm, Wiltshire
Price: £75
www.waveformfestival.com

Summer Sundae Weekender
The festival claims its carbon emissions are offset by initiatives that range from the use of compostable cups and plates and giving away energy saving light bulbs. 85% of media is printed on recycled paper and used vegetable oil is recycled into power sources.
When: August 14 -16
Where: De Monfort Hall and Gardens, Leicester
Price: £109
www.summersundae.com

York Green Festival
A celebration of sustainable living, the festival campaigns for change and a better way of living. A day of green workshops, campaign stalls, ethical traders, music and food, this year’s festival is still in the planning so keep an eye out in our calendar for updates.
When: 6 September
Where: Rowntree Park, York
Price: Free entry
www.yorkgreenfestival.org.uk

Camp Bestival
Winner of the Best New Festival 2008 award, Camp Bestival aims to recreate the intimacy of the first Bestival where ‘magic moments were shared between special people, creating memories that last forever.’ This year British chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall brings a taste of the River Cottage to the camp. There will be children’s food workshops covering sausage making, seed planting and bread making, a full seasonal organic menu, including the famous River Cottage ice cream and River Cottage Stinger (locally brewed organic nettle beer) and organic fruit drinks.
When: 24-26 July
Where: Lulworth Castle, Dorset
Price: £120 weekend ticket
www.campbestival.co.uk

2000 Trees Festival
This small, intimate music festival in the Cotswolds has done much to green its act. The 2000 Trees Festival joined the likes of Glastonbury and Latitude festivals in 2008 by winning a ‘Greener Festival’ award in recognition of its efforts in promoting environmentally friendly music festivals. At the ‘TreeHouse’ main stage, the Leaf Lounge and the GreenHouse, the music will range from rock, pop and indie to folk, metal and the ‘downright strange.’
When: 17-18 July
Where: Upcote Farm, Withington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Price: £47 weekend ticket
www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

The Big Chill
The Big Chill, which describes itself as ‘a multimedia festival, bar, club and record label dedicated to transforming the spirit of our times’ is not an eco-festival in its own right but it maintains a ‘leave no trace’ policy with a heavy emphasis on recycling. It hands out recycling bags, and has teams of volunteers that keep the site clean.
When: 6 – 9 August
Where: Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Malvern Hills, Herefordshire
Price: £145 for adults, £110 for students
www.bigchill.net

The team at BeMoreEco love twitter so as part of our Eco Holiday Series we have carried out an eco holiday search on Twitter and came up with these great Twitters.

• Eco Hotels of The World – @ehotw
• TIES – The International Ecotourism Society @ecotravel
• EcoEscape – @ecoescape
• Traveling the Green Way- @travelinggreen
• Eco Travel Guide - @EcoTravelTV
• Marriott Green - @marriottgreen
• Green Travel News - @greentravel
• Green Travel Blog - @greentravel1
• Eco Costa Rica - @EcoRica
• Eco Green Hotels - @EcoGreenHotel
• EcoArts Tours - @traveltree
• Environmentally Friendly Hotels - @GreenHotels

Twitter Search Terms

• Searched Twitter for eco holidays
• Searched Twitter for ecotravel

Click Here to check out the BeMoreEco Summer Eco Holiday Travel & Buying Guide.

Over the last few weeks the team at BeMoreEco have been blogging about great place to go this summer for your eco holiday. Also, in co-operation, EcoTrendSpotter have also reviewed what essential eco items you made need to take with you on you eco summer holiday. Below we have detailed all the post that have been submitted.

Travel Guides by BeMoreEco

• Eco holidays for Singles
• Eco holidays for Couples
• Eco holidays for Families

Buying Guides by EcoTrendSpotter

• Essential Holiday Gadgets
• Essential items fro you Eco Washbag
• Items for your Eco Beach Trip
• Eco Health Care

Other Travel BeMoreEco Articles

According to online travel agent responsibletravel.com, holidaymakers’ confidence has improved over the last three months as almost a fifth (19%) of its total customers have gone ‘late’ and spontaneously enquired and departed within a four week period. Furthermore, over a third (37%) of customers have travelled within eight weeks of first enquiring about their holiday.

These four week late booking figures reflect a rise of almost a third (31%) compared to the same period last year and almost a fifth (20%) for eight week late bookings.

The increase comes at a time when tour operators and airlines have already reduced capacity for the upcoming season and across the year in general. The late availability holiday deals that are on offer are being snapped up fast and according to Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com, it marks a pronounced increase in consumer confidence:

“There is no doubt that times were tough over the winter and consumer confidence was severely affected as a result. However, these figures are a sign that holidaymakers’ confidence is definitely improving. While it’s far too early to call an end to what might be a long recession it’s clear that in recent weeks more people are coming into the summer market looking to book and depart at short notice. Some will be disappointed that they cannot get their first or even second choice holidays as airline capacity has been reduced.”

Those countries topping the list for late bookings are: England; Italy; Morocco; Spain; France; Turkey; Wales and Greece.

responsibletravel.com work with over 300 tour operators across the globe, from small specialist operators to some of the larger, more mainstream travel providers.

Earn 200 Moreeco points with each succesfull booking.

In the last in the series of Eco Holidaying in the UK, we turn our attention to family holidays and check out some fun, low carbon alternatives to the family package holiday abroad.

When it comes to eco-friendly holidays it seems families are leading the way. According to a recent survey for Take the Family, 86 per cent of parents consider the environment when they are choosing a holiday – making them more likely than any other group to opt for An eco friendly break. We have a look at some of the options for great low impact holidays in the UK

How about a 5-day environmental adventures for families of all ages at Monkton Wyld in Dorset? These holidays comprise of fun-packed, low-carbon activities including arts and crafts, games, nature awareness & bushcraft, music-making, cooking and more. The 5-day, residential holidays all have an environmental theme and are suitable for toddlers to teenagers. It’s a great way to make new friends and to take a break while the kids are suitably entertained in the fresh air. Food is vegetarian and organically-grown where possible.

Head up to the Peaks and you have Bushey Heath Farm Bunk Barns. Sustainability has been central to this holiday development in the Peak District with a proven Wind Turbine providing electricity and a Thermia Ground Source Heat Pump providing heating and hot water. There is also rainwater harvesting for flushing WCs and reclaimed building materials used throughout. Bushey Heath Farm Bunk Barns cater for small groups, family gatherings, special events or just a relaxing weekend in the Peak District!

Camping can be extremely eco friendly. How about Camping in pre-pitched Festy Tents on a family farm in the rural North Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty? Then try Palace Farm in Kent.This area is ideal for cycling, walking and for those with a love of the countryside. Walk through the heart of the Downland with its beautiful wooded valleys and mixture of farmland concealing many old and interesting villages. Explore old country houses, ancient churches or relax in a quiet village pub or watch a local cricket team on the green at weekends.

How about a child friendly cottage? Visit www.childfriendlycottages.co.uk for a unique collection of child-friendly self catering holiday cottages across the UK. All the cottages and farms featured welcome children under five and have a minimum level of child friendly facilities – great for family holidays! Find a family-friendly cottage and then book direct with the owner, so pay no commission or booking fee.

There are many more options out there if you are looking for a holiday that is easy on the environment and good on your purse. Try a search on google or visit sites such as Responsible Travel or Eco Tour Directory. Many parent and child websites carry recommendations and are a good place to start.

Check out EcoTrendSpotter’s Summer Essentials Eco Buying Guide.

In the second in our series on UK Eco holidays we look at sustainable holidays for couples.

Looking for a romantic getaway with the love of your life but want to make sure you don’t damage the environment at the same time, why not check out the many eco hotels in the UK? Try Responsible Travel for a whole host of hotels across the UK. The company hand pick inspiring holidays from all over the UK and the globe to give you a fantastic experience and make a real difference to local people and the environment.

Apex Hotels is a chain of hotels in the UK that believe in being as sustainable as possible and have a whole heap of environmental awards to their name. They do some great 2 night romantic breaks in Scotland from just £120. Check them out here.

www.organicholidays.co.uk is a brilliant website for those looking for an organic holiday in the UK. Featured on the Timesonline as one of the top 100 travel sites in the UK, www.Organicholidays.co.uk has hundreds of hotels, lodges and cottages to choose from in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Want to stay somewhere different from a hotel then how about ‘glamping’? Glamping is more comfortable camping where there are many more amenities available to make your stay that extra bit special.

Try Jolly Days for a great escape to get away from it all in Yorkshire. Out go nylon sleeping bags and in come four poster beds, chandeliers and sofas by the fire!

Ever thought about staying in a Yurt? Try Ecoretreats in Machnlleyth in Mid Wales. These guys provide eco holidays and give you the opportunity to escape from the hussle and bustle of modern life, and enjoy a fantastic stay in high quality, eco friendly, tipis and yurts. The accommodation is ‘nestled’ on a 1300 acre organic farm, in a remote location where you can forget about the outside world. There are optional meditation and reiki sessions available during your stay, so you can really relax and begin to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.!

There are many more Yurt Holiday companies the length and breadth of the British Isles. Also check out www.trellyn.co.uk and www.yurt-holidays.co.uk.

Check out EcoTrendSpotter’s Summer Essentials Eco Buying Guide.

Getting away from it all for a UK Holiday needn’t be a guilt trip.

Eco-holidays in the UK  really represent the modern face of responsible tourism. The chief aim of an eco holiday is to support local economies while being environmentally sustainable. An eco holiday offers the opportunity to eat well, smell the grass and gain a new skill or experience without exploiting the environment in which it takes place. And of course you will be using less air miles than if you were to travel abroad!

More people than ever are choosing to holiday at home rather than traveling abroad with the intention of decreasing their carbon footprint and being more environmentally friendly. The good news is that there are lots of camping, self-catering, activity and other eco chic holiday options to choose from. In this three part series we look at holidaying in the UK either as a single, part of a couple or as a family

If you are Single, don’t worry!

Single? Then forget Club 18-30 and book a holiday with a difference all in the company of other single travelers who share your individual special interest. Why not indulge in a passion or try a new experience, whether it is learning about organic cuisine, crafts, art, dancing, tennis or music. Explore the great outdoors with environmentally friendly scenic tours and rambling weekends. There are tons of companies out there that cater for the single traveler in the UK with many not charging supplements that singles get hammered for frequently

Want to do it yourself? Then just do a quick google search which will result in pages of great eco holiday ideas. Have a look at the following sites for a whole heap of ideas;

• www.responsibletravel.com – earn 200 MoreEco points with each booking
• www.thetravelplanner.co.uk
• www.organicholidays.co.uk
• www.greentraveller.co.uk –  recommended by the Times Newspaper –  is a great green travel guide to green places to stay and green holidays. It features eco-friendly places to stay in the UK and Europe and suggests low impact ways to get there.
• www.Ecoescape.org is the cult website and travel guide series for green places to holiday in the UK and Ireland. Ecoescape is all about changing the way we travel and finding ways to get off-grid and slowing down our pace of life. And of course traveling closer to home!

Finally, Ecotraveller Alex Conti has an extensive UK section in his Eco Hotels Of The World book that was released at the start of the year. Also check out Terena Plowright’s book called Eco-Centres and Courses for a comprehensive guide to over 150 places which offer practical courses, fun days out and accommodation.

Before you go on your travels you should check out Eco Trend Spotter’s Eco Travel Essentials to make sure that you have everything eco your need for your eco holiday. <click here>