For Bestival 2006 we are seriously upping the ante with regards to encouraging a responsible and respectful vibe by asking everyone to go green and recycle as much as we possibly can. And local IOW school children are leading the way…

Aided by Island Waste, Bestival are looking to recycle as much of their litter as possible at this year's Bestival.

In an initiative pioneered at the Glastonbury Festival, recycling bins will be available everywhere on-site for all cans, plastics and compostable materials.  We are also encouraging all traders to use compostable cups, plates and wooden or vegetable starch-based cutlery - ALL of these remains can be put into the compostable bins!

To make this Island-based green initiative a little easier for the average 'tired and emotional' festival-goer, eight local Isle of Wight schools have agreed to take part in the Bestival School Arts Project (in partnership with Quay Arts) and compete to make the best 3D animal sculptures from wholly recycled materials (such as cans, bottle tops, plastic bottles, paper, card etc). The finished animal sculptures will be placed atop scaffold poles to mark the locations of the recycling points, making all of these green waste depositories easily identifiable.

The 3D school animal sculptures will initially be displayed at Jubilee Stores, Newport Harbour on Saturday 22nd July - 11:00am.

And for the second year running, local Isle of Wight schoolchildren have also been invited to submit a series of display boards which will be used to cover the playground area close to the Bestival main-stage. 

In 2005, five schools took part in painting the display boards with the theme of 'cultural diversity'.  This year, for the second Bestival Schools Arts Project (again in conjunction with Quay Arts), Carisbrooke High School have taken on the entire job and produced a series of contemporary, urban/street designs (well in keeping with Bestival co-founder Josie da Bank's funky graphic design work, as seen on all Bestival artwork) which incorporate information and website links to individual artists (such as Todd Marrone, Andy Howell, Dave Kinsey, Beatriz Milhazes, David Choong Lee and Barry McGee) that have inspired the children.

The blank wooden boards have once again been generously donated to the School Arts Project by local-firm Moreys, and the finished painted display boards will again be used to surround the playground area at this year's Bestival.

On a more general level, the prominent message (call it a slogan if you like) at this year's Bestival is 'Keep Bestival Tidy' - more on this in the 'What Else?' section above.