Your Eco-Friendly Festival Guide

With festival season in full swing there is no time like the present to raise your awareness of the effects these gatherings have on the environment. Festivals are non-stop fun but when everything is said and done, the mess left behind will bring a tear to Mother Nature’s eye.

Start off with picking eco-conscious festivals to attend, like Outside Lands, the music and art festival scheduled Aug. 9–11 at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. This annual event promotes Earth-friendly practices and events, uses solar energy and the festival’s food vendors provide fare from local, sustainable and organic farms.

Many festivals allow attendees to volunteer with the clean up after the event is over. The more people that lend a hand, the less of an impact the festivities have on the Earth.

Make sure your bag is packed with Earth-friendly products so you aren’t leaving a messy carbon imprint during the festivities. Skip the single-use plastics and harsh chemicals and bring along necessities like a bamboo toothbrush, reusable water bottle and hygiene products that are biodegradable and don’t require extra water to do the job. A great product to try is Ursa Major’s Essential Face Wipes. These wipes are made from sustainable bamboo, are biodegradable and cruelty-free.