Ecotricity host big name line-up for WOMAD Festival events

Ecotricity, which sponsors the Arboretum stage at WOMAD again this year, will host the Big Green Britain Chat on Saturday morning and the Young Green Briton Chat on Sunday morning.

Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow will chair the Big Green Britain Chat at the Ecotricity Stage in the Arboretum, which will ask the question how easy is it to be green? 

The panel will include The One Show reporter Lucy Siegle, the head of sustainability at IKEA UK & IE, Joanna Yarrow, and the founder of Ecotricity, Dale Vince - they will each offer their insight and experience into how to live a green lifestyle and will discuss what the future might hold for sustainability in Britain.

The following day will see the winners of Ecotricity’s Young Green Briton Chat competition take to the Siam Tent stage to discuss the issues that matter most to them. Each speaker was selected after entering an Ecotricity competition with their ideas on how to achieve a Green Britain in relation to one of four areas: Energy, Transport, Food or Nature. 

They will receive a mentoring session by a leading figure in their chosen area, before discussing their ideas in front of an audience during the Young Green Briton Chat, chaired by Lucy Siegle. The winners are:

• Joe Inman, 13 (Energy) – mentored by Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince

• Martha James, 14 (Transport) – mentored by actor and electric car enthusiast, Robert Llewellyn

• Amara Smith, 16 (Food) – mentored by the executive chef and director of Star Anise vegetarian café in Stroud, Nicholas Allan

• Josh Gard, 15 (Nature) – mentored by environmental campaigner and author, Mark Avery

Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder, said: “Our Young Green Briton competition was a fantastic success last year – we heard some great ideas from some very committed and talented young people. It’s a real encouragement to hear these voices of the up and coming generation, so focussed on sustainability and the idea of a Green Britain.”

Lucy Siegle, journalist and environmentalist, said: “Eco literacy for young people isn't just a nice thing to do, it's their right! It will open so many doors in the future too. The education system has unfortunately fallen a long way behind, so bravo to Ecotricity for leading the way. I can't wait to debate the hottest green issues with our crop of talent this year.”

Mark Avery, environmental campaigner and author, said: “Working with young people gives me hope that they may do a better job for wildlife and the environment than we oldies have done.”

Ecotricity will also host a children’s cookery workshop at Yalumba Taste the World in the Arboretum on Friday at 10am, to showcase how the food served at the world’s only vegan football club, Forest Green Rovers, is made. The workshop will replicate the club’s ‘making matchday food’ sessions where school groups learn about food provenance and the health and environmental benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

There will also be a number of competitions running which festival-goers will be able to enter – including the chance to win a year’s free energy by switching to Ecotricity, or two tickets to next year’s WOMAD by signing up to their mailing list.