Introducing Spaceship Earth – protecting the future of our pale blue dot with a special programme of DotTalks and stalls and new sustainability initiatives. It forms part of a commitment to continually innovate and advance the sustainability of the festival as well as discuss with audiences the fragility of planet Earth.

Working in unison with Jodrell Bank, we will implement a number of sustainability initiatives at the festival that will continue to support the concept of Spaceship Earth – a world view that humans should work together harmoniously to look after the planet. Initiatives include no single use plastic across the food traders on site, reusable bottles for all staff, encouraging festival goers to bring their own and wristbands will be made entirely from bamboo and recycled plastic.

Women’s rights activist Helen Pankhurst will feature alongside Tom Shakespeare and a representative from Extinction Rebellion on the panel talk ‘Protest for Change: Direct Action and Society’. A controversial form of political campaigning, direct action seeks to confront society, trigger debate and incite change. While some defend its validity as a peaceful and vital part of a truly liberal democracy, others decry the impact of the disruption cause, and the cost to public services. This high profile panel of speakers will represent a range of lenses through which to explore the effectiveness of direct action, from the suffragetters through to the contemporary environmentalist movement, Extinction Rebellion.

Following their collaboration on David Attenborough’s groundbreaking Our Planet, WWF will be onsite presenting screenings and In Conversation talks with the creators of the series.