Festival season has arrived, kicking off with Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival followed by a rather wet Isle of Wight Festival last weekend and Glastonbury just around the corner (along with, fingers crossed, some sunshine).

But though dancing around what is essentially a field may seem like all kinds of green fun this summer, it’s easy to leave a hefty carbon footprint during the festivities. So before you don your backpack and buy some cider, read on for a few ways of how you can be eco-friendly while you party the days and nights away…

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How to have an eco-friendly festival

Getting there

Packing up the car and filling it with expensive petrol is not the only way to get to your destination. The Big Lemon is a Brighton based initiative which makes bus travel fun and sustainable; who knew it could be either? The buses and coaches in this community-run project are fuelled by recycled cooking oil from local restaurants, which is then turned into biodiesel, a plant-based alternative to the regular stuff. The bus project offers coaches to and from most of the UK’s southern festivals so you can do your bit and travel across the country without leaving a mark.

This year, Glastonbury is taking responsibility for its carbon footprint with the Green Traveller campaign. Turn up using public transport or on your bike and all sorts of rewards await, from having your luggage transferred to the site to exclusive solar showers, compost toilets and discounted meal vouchers.

Toilets and showers? Where do we sign up…

Gadgets and equipment

The thousands of tents that are left behind after a festival make for a huge amount of landfill space. There are plenty of savvy companies out there who have it all figured out; from  myhab who offer a far more comfortable and green alternative, to The Green Tent Company who make fully recyclable tents which you can even collect on arrival instead of carrying (handy if you’re choosing to cycle there as suggested before).

If you can’t live without your gadgets, don’t spend your festival fretting over a lost phone call. Sites such as All Things Green have a whole host of geeky gizmos to keep you plugged in and powered up using solar power so you can keep hold of your mates stay connected to the outside world.

Friendly Food

From festivals that are dedicated to organic food to those who are doing their best to embrace it, there is usually more than just a burger van available to you when the munchies strike. Seek out stalls selling local produce, fair-trade goods or organic delights to try and eat with a conscience. Glastonbury for one encourages traders to use biodegradable plates and cutlery as well as giving out Green Trader Awards to say thank you.

What tips do you have for making a festival trip eco-friendly? Let us know what your must-haves are (apart from the wellies) in the comments.

To redress the balance, The Independent released its Happy List — a list of the hundred greatest contributors to happiness in the country, including everyone from J.K. Rowling to the cuckoo.

So from global billionaires to national treasures, we decided to bring the list one final step closer to home and bring you, in a nutshell, the reasons why staying slow keeps us happy.

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Why the Slow Life is a happy life

1. Slow Food

Well the slow movement started with the slow food movement and so does the list. Ethical and organic cuisine really does put a smile on our faces, with those authentic flavours from starter to finish. Food that feels good and leaves you feeling better really is our number one.

2. Slow Travel

Getting away from it all: we love that. Travelling has to come next after food. When away from all our native trouble and strife we can really put life back into perspective and there’s really no better way to do it than in beautiful surroundings. The slow travel ethos is designed to ensure we all get the most out of every journey we make.

3. Family

Baz Luhrman (quoting Mary Schmich) told us to ‘be kind to your siblings’ and ‘get to know your parents’. Easier said than done, but it’s better advice than the one about sunscreen. Sharing a meal with the family or even just taking the time to call is often enough to make us happy.

We’re going to go out on a limb and say that family time brings more joy to the country than The Independent’s ‘cuckoo’.

4. Friends

After family comes friends. If I were to say I was sat in a cafe with mocha, or a quiet bar with a glass of white, yeah you’d be jealous. That’s because we know that’s where we want to be for the duration of the day.

Friends and family really are that personal contact we need to keep us sane, let alone happy.

5. Reading books

We all know the book is always better than the film — with the exception of silent movies, maybe. Whether you’re squashed on the bus, looking up every minute to make sure you haven’t passed your stop, or sprawled out on the sofa with chocolate and coffee, you just can’t put those books down.

6. Me time

We all need a bit of ‘me time’: just a few minutes a day to engross ourselves in… ourselves. It’s all about spending some time to go through everything in our heads, file thoughts away and bring some out for further inspection.

A bit of me time brings such a calming feeling that, after a day in the office and an hour sat in traffic, we welcome with open arms.

It really is the little things in life that become the big things. And that’s why we choose to slow down.

Sunday Times Rich List

But often it’s just not an option.

When breathing in that fresh country air isn’t available on a full time basis, the Fresh Air Fund offers an alternative for underprivileged children living in New York.

An independent, not-for-profit agency, the Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer vacations in the country for children from low-income New York families since 1877.

Every year, around 10,000 children enjoy a couple of weeks away. Five thousand of them take a trip to one of the suburbs or small communities surrounding New York, 3,000 visit one of the Fresh Air summer camps, and 2,000 get to experience the Fresh Air Fund outdoor camping programme.

It’s all designed to give inner-city children the chance to experience the wonders of the American countryside. With access to wide open spaces, outdoor activities and a whole group of new friends, the Fund gives children from deprived areas a holiday they won’t forget.

The service is made possible by those who donate their time or money to the agency — and those who open their home to the children. The Fresh Air Fund is now looking for more hosts to get involved in a number of areas.

Last year, children visited hosts in 13 Northeastern states, from Virginia to Maine and Canada, and they’re looking to extend it further this year.

Want to get involved? Find out more on the Fresh Air Fund site,

You might also want to check out this video featuring some of the kids who have benefited from the scheme.

It’s taken 10 years of friendship, love, breakups and make-ups.

But considering the high rate of divorce within the Royal Family, the fact that the couple have taken their time over the relationship is surely a good thing?

Compare the long, secret romance of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to the short pre-engagement relationship Charles shared with Diana Spencer (according to Wikipedia, the two became a couple in the summer of 1980 and were engaged by February 1981).

Perhaps spending some time on your relationship has its benefits. A slow engagement may well be the thing that will leave William and Kate enjoying each other’s company for the rest of their lives — after all, they’ve already spent some of their most formative years growing together, and their relationship has withstood a break-up along the way.

Royal weddings don’t exactly have a great history when it comes to happiness, loyalty and love (check out Neatorama’s Royal Marriages That Didn’t Go So Well).

But surely there are a few happy ever afters in the Prince Charming fairytale?

We’ve picked out our favourite long and happy royal marriages. Here’s hoping Kate and William will be on a similar list one day.

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Happy royal marriages

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Married: 21 years
Prince Albert’s death at just 42 years old cut short what was a truly great romance. Victoria famously mourned her husband right up until her death, giving her a reputation as a rather dour monarch. Recently, her reputation as a sour-puss has been somewhat revised thanks to films such as Young Victoria and Mrs Brown.

Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward
Married: 35 years
Whatever we may think about the notorious divorcee responsible for the abdication crisis, love affairs don’t get much more romantic than this. Falling in love with a divorced right-wing American was not a great career move for Prince Edward, first in line to the throne. But rather than do his duty and choose a more fitting bride, the prince gave up the throne and married for love.

You can imagine that he won every argument with “I gave up being King for you!”.

King George III and Queen Charlotte
Married: 57 years
Notoriously “mad” King George III didn’t exactly go for the slow living ethos when he married Charlotte on the day he met her. But “Farmer” George was a lover of the slow life, passionate about farming, and admired for his homely and thrifty ways. The couple’s marriage was a very happy one, and the king — somewhat unusually for the time– never took a mistress. He had 15 children with Charlotte, and their happiness was only cut short by the onset of his final bout of ‘madness’ from which he never recovered.

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How to have a Slow Marriage

The secret to a long and Slow marriage is simply this:

1. Remember to say thank you. Taking the time to appreciate the good things your loved one does for you means you’ll always remember just how marvellous they are. And they’ll be grateful for your gratitude in return.

2. Remember to be kind. It’s so easy to be nasty to someone we love. We take out our frustrations on them and give vent to our bad moods. But if you forget small and simple acts of kindness then meanness will become an easy habit.

3. Remember to say sorry. Sorry is such a simple word, but it has the power to fix so many things. Often taking the time to say “you’re right, I’m sorry” will diffuse any argument and restore your household to calm. But don’t fake it — your partner can smell an empty apology a mile off.

Really this all boils down to one simple golden rule: Don’t take each other for granted.

It may not sound sexy or revolutionary, but so many marriages fail simply because the couple forgot to appreciate the many minor miracles that brought them together. Respecting your relationship and each other, remembering how fragile love can be if it’s not looked after, and being realistic about the strange things that life can throw up, all help towards a long and slow relationship.

If you take it for granted, it will wander off while you’re not looking.

Recommended reading:

How to tell if your love is slow. Does your lover take the slow approach to romance? Check out our handy guide.

Rediscover the lost art of romance. Is it time for you to slow down your love life?

That’s the main thrust (so to speak) of the introduction to the InterNational Downshifting Week press release.

It’s certainly a good way to grab our attention — and I don’t think any of us would argue that more time for sex is a bad thing — but since the rest of the press release is about knitting, we’re going to move swiftly on as well.

With InterNational Downshifting Week about to enter its seventh year, founder Tracey Smith is on a celebratory tour. She’ll be spreading the word about the marvels of living a slower, less frantic life — and she’ll be doing an awful lot of knitting.

Tracey will be meeting up with all manner of green celebs, downshifters and BBC radio presenters for some “convivial ‘Knit Ins’.” She’ll be using these crafty moments to produce knitted squares made from wool sourced from local charity shops.

Once the squares are complete, pocketed Community Blankets will be constructed and given out to those in need. The plan is to produce 2011 of them!

Tracey Smith is a well-known “face” when it comes to living the Slow Life. She’s a journalist and broadcaster — and author of Book of Rubbish Ideas. She’s currently developing a TV programme about downshifting, so expect to hear a whole lot more from her!

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Join In! Knit your own Community Blanket

InterNational Downshifting Week runs from Sat 23-Fri 29th April.

Tracey’s convivial knit-ins (which I for one very much like the sound of) will be running the week before. If you’d like to hold your own convivial knit-in for the Community Blanket Project, check out this video and then read up on How to Knit your Community Blanket over on the Downshifting Week website.

The Community Blanket Project: InterNational Downshifting Week 2011 from Tracey Smith on Vimeo.

Image: Corneliar

In the UK, we waste up to £134 million a year purely from leaving gadgets charging for longer than needed. According to E.On, you can save around £60 a year per household by simply unplugging ten gadgets once they’re fully charged.

Charging a gadget can only take a couple of hours, so there’s really no need to pop your iPhone or camera on overnight.

Which goes to prove that sometimes it’s the little changes that make the big impact if we all adopt them.

E.On gives the following charging times for the typical gadget.

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How long to charge your gadgets

Mobile Phone 2 hours
Laptop, with Express Charge 2 hours
Hand-held vacuum cleaner 3.5 hours
Mp3 player 4  hours
Digital Camera 2 hours

And if you’re committed to making more changes, have a look at these suggestions by VPhase.

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Ten ways to cut energy costs

1. Domestic Voltage Optimisation
Save energy, CO2 and around 10% off your electricity bills by installing a VPhase voltage optimisation device. The unit is available for £299 including VAT and installation from national framework supplier, Eaga – or from your local electrician. To see how much you can save visit www.vphase.co.uk.

2. Energy Saving Light Bulbs
Energy saving light bulbs use 80% less electricity than traditional bulbs and last 10 times as long. Fitting just one energy saving light bulb can save you on average £2.50 a year and by swapping all the light bulbs in your home you could save around £37 per year.

3. Briquette Maker
Recycle unwanted packaging and paper and turn it into a natural and effective alternative to charcoal. This will create fuel the eco-friendly way whilst saving on heating costs.

4. Upgrade Home Appliances
Home appliances account for a significant chunk of your household CO2 emissions so if you’re thinking of upgrading, check out the Energy Saving Trust recommended home appliances.

5. Turn Down Your Thermostat
Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C could save you around £55 a year.

6. Generate Your Own Electricity
Investing in renewable energy technologies like solar panels will not only help reduce your CO2 emissions but will also be an added financial benefit. Renewable energy technologies are a great investment – especially with government feed-in tariffs now in place.

7. Switch Off
Leaving appliances plugged in and switched on at the socket means they are still using energy. Turning off TVs, games consoles and mobile phone chargers at the mains will help save money off your electricity bills.

8. Home Insulation
Did you know around half of heat lost in a typical home is through the walls?  Cavity-wall and loft insulation can save you money and make your home warmer and more comfortable.

9. Plug In Energy Meter
Be more aware of how much energy your various electrical appliances consume with an energy meter. You can also check the overall incoming voltage level to your property.

10. Replace Your Boiler
Save up to £225 a year on your heating bills by replacing an old G-rated boiler with an A-rated condensing boiler.

More information about Climate Week

Image: [Anton Fomkin]

The popstar-come-snazzy dresser has already raised over half a million dollars for victims of Haiti’s earthquake, through donating a day of merchandise and concert ticket sales, and now she’s turned her hand to accessory design to raise funds for Japan.

The result is this special charity bracelet, or rubber prayer band, similar to the one Prince William was spotted wearing in New Zealand yesterday.

Gaga’s is white and has “We pray for Japan” written on it in Japanese and English, as well as her famous monster claw, a symbol her ‘little monster’ fans (as she calls them) use to show their devotion.

The bracelet costs $5, or £3, and is on sale now, with shipping from March 25. On her website and Twitter page Gaga writes that all proceeds will go to the Japan Tsunami relief fund, and in the first 48 hours on sale $250,000 has been raised

If you would simply like to donate money to Japan, the British Red Cross has a fund you can contribute to. It’s the Japan Tsunami Appeal and you can donate online or pop a cheque in the post. Alternatively you can donate to the American Red Cross Japan Tsunami appeal.

At the time of writing Japan’s National Police Agency has reported 5,457 people are confirmed dead; 9,508 have been reported missing and 2,409 were injured. In addition, the Red Cross reports that more than 440,000 people have had to leave their homes.

The Japanese Red Cross has 115 response teams working on the ground now, as they have been since the disaster began, providing first aid and emergency healthcare, as well as distributing relief items.

Buy Lady Gaga’s We Pray For Japan wristband

Fred from Bognor might not be toppling any evil dictators soon, but if a new people’s watchdog on sustainability goes ahead, he can jolly well make sure this government meets green targets, despite abolishing the centrally funded Sustainable Development Commission (SDC).

The ten-year-old SDC, which acts as an advisory board and all-seeing eye on government activity on green issues, lost its funding in the current round of budget cuts.

Sustainability communications agency Futerra has come up with the concept of an alternative people’s SDC, which will use social networking channels such as Facebook and Twitter to unite experts, statisticians and ordinary folk in campaigns for or against government proposals and activities.

Speaking to the BBC, Futerra co-founder and director, Solitaire Townsend, said:

“One part of this is to create something like a Taxpayers’ Alliance, but for sustainability…We need to get loads of specialists to sort through it [data on sustainability projects] and start ranking the government – this would use more of a wiki approach and probably based on ‘traffic lights’, with green, amber and red for the government’s performance, and done on a daily basis.”

Apparently, Townsend’s inspiration is the people’s protest against the sale of forest land into the private sector, a campaign which was generated in some part on social networks (with the help of people-power campaign charity, 38 Degrees).

So far the People’s SDC has the support of former SDC chair Jonathon Porritt, who praised it for being more creative and more likely to engage the public’s interest than any current government plan.

Check out Big Sustainability for more information.

[Source: BBC]

Ah well, it did at least feature the magic three words — “thanks for ironing”.

As love is in the air, I’ve compiled a list of ways to spot if your lover is Slow. It does indeed include the concept of Tantric sex, but it doesn’t stop there. Oh no, that would be for those bereft of imagination. And Sting.

He’s hired a tandem
Without doubt this is the most chic and Slow way to travel with a lover. Check out Wayne and Becky, a cute Canadian couple who went so far with the theme that they got married on theirs.

He’s made bread for you
Most couples will opt for a posh steak dinner, but home-made bread has a nurturing quality to it that can’t be beaten. You have to put real effort into making bread — all that kneading, waiting and baking. The smell alone is enough to get you ready for love. It’s foreplay via food, surely?

He writes you love songs
Forget playlists. Slow lovers don’t rely on other artists to do their seduction for them. They get the guitar / maraccas / spoons out and do it themselves. No matter if it’s ropey, it’s the uniqueness and the creativity that counts. A live performance is best, obviously, but if he videos himself crooning, posts it on YouTube and sends it to your friends too, consider it quite sweet. Maybe.

He subscribes to My Tantric Love-life
If that magazine doesn’t exist yet, it should do. It would probably take eight years for each issue to come out, though. Yep, it’s an obvious one, but Tantric is about not rushing in bed, and taking time to savour life’s pleasures, opting for quality not quantity, is definitely Slow.

He books a romantic getaway to Bra
Slow Food International’s bi-annual cheese festival, aptly named Cheese, runs from September 16-19 this year, in the town of Bra – the home of Slow Food’s headquarters. It is now the leading international festival for artisan cheese-makers, attracting over 100,000 visitors.

We wouldn’t normally recommend too much cheese in your love life, but for this we make an exception.

He dreams of downsizing together
When he dreams of a future together, it’s more likely to involve a smallholding, spending proper dad time with the children, and moving your parents nearer, not further away. Unlikely to feature is a nanny pad, boarding school and death by mortgage.

He never texts you
Ok, maybe he will text to say pick up a pint of milk, but you won’t find a Slow lover texting sweet nothings. Or tweeting them, for that matter. Where’s the feeling?

[Image: Happy Via]

More Valentine’s Day on Jorg & Olif

This one from Nigel Marsh is inspiring, not because Nigel says anything we don’t know already (we need a better work-life balance but finding it isn’t easy) but because a successful businessperson wants us to take it into our own hands — not leave it in the hands of our employer.
There’s a great moment near the start where Marsh discusses his perfect day, which involves walking the dog, playing sport and having sex. A lot.

He also has some interesting views on flexi-time and paternity leave:

All the discussions about flexi-time or dress-down Fridays or paternity leave only serve to mask the core issue, which is that certain job and career choices are fundamentally incompatible with being meaningfully engaged on a day-to-day basis with a young family.

And dress down friday gets special attention:

And the reality of the society that we’re in is there are thousands and thousands of people out there leading lives of quiet, screaming desperation, where they work long, hard hours at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. It’s my contention that going to work on Friday in jeans and T-shirt isn’t really getting to the nub of the issue.

[Image: GlobeVisions]