Byron Bay's annual Splendour in the Grass festival is continuing its tradition of greenery this year with the option "green ticket" available to punters.
The ticket costs $7 more than a regular two day ticket with the extra $7 going towards renewable energy, which will neutralise that punter's carbon footprint for two days.Confused? Look at it this way; the average Australian's daily existence emits approximately 77 tons of greenhouse gas and $7 invested in renewable energy will theoretically cancel out 144 tons of emissions, thus making their time at the festival guilt-free.
Last year 31% of ticket sales, or 5,425 tickets were sold with the green option, thus cancelling out over 1000 tons of greenhouse gas. $18,987 was raised and organisers contributed $6,860 to cover the festival itself.
If you want to purchase a green ticket, you'll need to buy it from www.qjump.com.au when tickets go on sale at 9am, Thursday May 22. (Hint: Buy it right on 9am or be prepared to spend your first weekend in August at home.) Be sure to click on the "green ticket" option when you do.
Oh, and four random decent-folk who do purchase the green ticket will win themselves a pretty spiffy Splendour in the Grass hoodie, and if you're not in it for material gain, then just remember if 2 out of every 3 punters take up the green ticket initiative, over 1,500 tonnes of carbon will be neutralised which is equivalent to taking 372 cars off the road or powering over 195 homes for a year.
If you're the type who doesn't mind the threat of global warming and all that science jazz, then be sure to come along for the weekend anyway and check out an amazing line up of music, including Devo, Wolfmother, Sigur Ros, The Living End, The Presets, Tricky, Vampire Weekend, Ben Lee, Cold War Kids, The Fratellis, The Wombats, Pnau, Laura Marling, The Vines, The Grates, Operator Please, Band of Horses, Van She, The Panics, Gyroscope, Mstrkrft, Lightspeed Champion, The Brown Birds from Windy Hill, Scribe, The Music, The Gin Club with plenty more to be announced.
The festival takes place at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay on August 2 and 3, 2008. Tickets are on sale at 9am, Thursday May 22. See you there.
