Climate change requires urgent action – we can no longer ignore the damaging effects we’re contributing to our planet! The recent IPCC Report on Global Warming highlights the risks and irreversible losses that would take place at 2 degrees or more warming. At a warming of 2 degrees virtually all coral reefs will be lost, sea levels will rise effecting low level coastal regions and huge numbers of animals and plants will become extinct, we will exhaust our natural resources and will need 1.7 Earths to keep up with our current demand of consumption.

However instead of worrying about the future, we can start making it better if we work together!

Since 2016 Download has participated in Creative Green Certification. This is an external assessment by Julie’s Bicycle– a charity who support the creative industries to act on climate change – to measure our understanding, commitment and improvement towards environmental sustainability.  In 2017 we achieved an awesome four out of five stars! See our key achievements below and read the full report. We could not have done any of this without your help, so a huge thank you to the environmentally conscious Download community who participated in our initiatives

Our sustainability team are currently gathering lots data to record what we achieved this year. We will announce our results soon!

We’ve made it easy for you to have the best time at Download while reducing your environmental impact. See what you can do below;

Travelling to the festival makes up 80% of the total carbon emissions generated (source: The Show Must Go On Report, 2015). You could travel by lower carbon forms of travel such as coach, train with direct shuttle buses to the festival or carshare to help reduce this. See our travel page for all options

We’ve partnered with Big Green Coach once again as the official travel provider to Download Festival 2019.  Travelling by coach uses less carbon than travelling car.

• Last year, by choosing the coach instead of the car for your festival travel, Big Green Coach saved enough travel miles to take you to the moon and back 46 times.
• Last year the average carbon saving made by Big Green Coach passengers was enough to boil 7.8 million kettles.
• Big Green Coach sponsor and protect 5 sq ft of rainforest for 10 years for each coach seat sold.
• Big Green Coach have protected over 1 million sq ft of rainforest through our sponsorship initiatives.
• Coach travel is between 4 to 6 times more environmentally friendly than taking a car to a festival. Using Big Green Coach is a positive step towards reducing the environmental impact caused by festival travel.

They are operating Weekend services for all you campers out there. Choose from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday arrival options. All weekend coaches return for home on Monday.

If you’re just going in for one day to see your favourite acts then there is a DAY RETURN service too, so you can mosh until you drop and still get home at the end of the night. Forget leaving early for that last train or paying for expensive hotels!

They pick up in a mammoth 69 locations across the UK; there must be somewhere close to you!

DEPOSIT SCHEME AVAILABLE – Skint? No worries, Big Green Coach have got you covered. Use the deposit scheme to secure your ticket and your coach seat and pay the balance next year.

As our Official & Exclusive travel partner, Big Green Coach are the only authorised coach company to have full use of the Official Onsite Coach Park – no one gets you closer!

Car sharing is a fun, easy, cheap and sustainable way to travel! If you’re travelling to the festival by car, sign up to Download Liftshare to offer your empty seats and get FREE access to our priority car park to get you closer to the action!

Looking for a lift?

Sign up to Download Liftshare to find your match and share the festival excitement.

The main contributor of carbon emissions at festivals is travel, which accounts for 80% of a festival’s carbon footprint. That is why at Download Festival we have introduced carbon offsetting to our car and motorcycle parking prices. £1 of the cost of your parking pass will be donated to the charity Energy Revolution, who invest in renewable energy projects. Watch this Energy Revolution video to find out more.

In 2018 we balanced 1,024,194 travel miles with 100% of donations going to Solar for Schools, a project putting solar panels on school roofs across the UK.

If you don’t want to travel by car, there are other forms of lower carbon to travel to the festival such as Big Green Coach or train with direct shuttle buses to the festival

RECYCLING CHAMPIONS WINNERS! CHAMPION

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recycling championship at Download. The recycling raffle winners are: Gold 4-4674A8B61 & Silver 4-30B3603BF

Please email [email protected] with a photo of your winning ticket reference number to claim you prize!

If you did not win this time you are all recycling champions to us. Keep up the good work!

Only bring what you can take home with you!  When packing ready for the festival weekend, remember to pack wisely and only bring essential items.

Pink Moon offer pre-pitched tents or if you’re bringing your own tent we ask you to take it home, along with any other camping equipment.

If you have any broken  tents chairs, gazebos, empty batteries, unopened tins of food after the festival, please take them to the Recycling Points.

The reality is the majority of abandoned tents end up in landfill because it is impossible to recycle or reuse them all.

Say no to single use, reuse your tent!  Buy a durable tent that you can use again eacy year, it will save you money in the long run.

If you are an environmentally friendly rocker come and stay in the Eco-Campsite, back for the second year in a row, where zero tents were left behind last year!  \m/

Visit our Campsite Info page for more information.

We’ve teamed up with Every Can Counts this year who will gladly give your finished drink cans a new home. Expect games and activities, who knew recycling could be this much fun!

Do you want to help save the planet, one festival at a time?

We are looking for volunteers who are full of energy, passionate about the environment and enjoy engaging with people on green issues.  As a member of the Green Team you will receive a crew wristband, get to camp in crew camping with like-minded people where you will have access to hot showers and nice loos.  This is an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the sustainable events field, and you are welcome to enjoy the festival when you are not volunteering.