*The Green Party's youth wing, the Young Greens, are to send a team of 100 to Glastonbury Festival as part of a sustainability project
*The team aim to transform the public camping experience at the festival, establishing sustainable 'villages' which minimise everyone's impact on the farm
*The pilot project is an exploration of the possibilities of sustainable living in a way that has never been done before in UK festivals
The Young Greens are trialling a pilot at Glastonbury to transform public camping at the festival. A team of 100, comprised of Young Greens and permaculturalists, aim to create community led and sustainable villages which will have a minimal impact on the farm and leave no trace after the festival.
Inspired by permaculture design and principles, they will set up three villages within the extremely popular Pennard's Hill camping field. The villages will offer a camping experience imbued with community care and low impact activities open to all who chose to join.
Each village will consist of two "village greens" to act as focal points for the communities and to serve a reminders of the appearance of the space before the arrival of the public. The greens will also host workshops to create art out of waste, performances and act as community hubs.
Each village will have its own identity and skills, and each is experimenting with different solutions to collecting community rubbish and recycling, ensuring that villagers feel safe and included, and that all that is brought into the village is taken away or appropriately disposed of.
Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said:
"This is an exciting pilot, offering the Young Greens an opportunity to demonstrate how sustainable communities can be created and maintained, even in challenging circumstances.
"The power of community is fundamental in tackling climate change. We hope that this pilot will demonstrate the actions, however small, that everyone can take towards living a low-impact lifestyle and make their communities more sustainable and better places to be."
Fiona Brookes, Coordinator of the Young Greens, who is leading the team at Glastonbury Festival said:
"I'm so excited that the Young Greens are part of a pioneering pilot for social change. Tackling climate change through community driven schemes give me hope. It provides a solution to the most frightening crisis the world has ever faced whilst improving everyone's quality life, by giving us back what we all need to thrive - a support network and a connection with nature. I'm also grateful for the partnership with Green Futures Field on this pilot.
"The fact that Glastonbury Festival, who are world renowned and a vital part of our national culture, are committed to this pilot is a strong signal to everyone of that our vision for what the future could look like isn't an idealistic dream but necessary change that will benefit all, not just a few."
A short film is being made of the pilot showing how sustainable communities are not just a vision but a reality that can be started in even the most challenging of places.
Interviews with Natalie Bennett and Young Greens are available on request.