News: August 2009 Archives

Watch SolarAid at Big Chill here:

SolarAid has recently returned from five days in Herefordshire at the Big Chill Festival where it was an official charity partner.

There were 50 SolarAid staff and volunteers at the festival - all spreading the word about solar energy and its role in the fight against climate change and poverty.

Their mission was helped along by the sun, which shone almost all weekend!

The SolarAid team was able to demonstrate the power of solar energy by offering a solar-powered phone charging service to festival revelers. The picture on the left shows Steve Woodward, a SolarAid intern, standing next to one of the 'Solar Rollers' used to charge mobile phones in the main festival arena.

As well as hosting their own tent, SolarAid had a stage too - the SolarAid Buskers' Stage - offering live music by artists from all over the UK, powered 100% by the sun.

Chloe Singer opened Big Chill Festival for SolarAid, on their Buskers' Stage, Thursday 6 August. Photo by Steve Woodward.

Getting into the festival spirit...
Some of the SolarAid team even donned a specially-commissioned sun costume designed by recent Royal College of Art graduate James Randall. James's brief was to create a costume that was as sustainable as possible and that celebrated the power of the sun and solar energy.

James's design used a reflective material which is usually unrecyclable; if this fabric was not reused in some way it would simply go to landfill. James also used other off-cut fabrics in his design so the environmental impact was minimal.

LEFT: SolarAid volunteer Charlotte dresses up in the sun costume, helping to raise awareness of solar energy. Photo by Steve Woodward.

James drew his inspiration for the costume from Notting Hill and Rio de Janeiro Carnivals.

"I wanted to convey the energy of the sun radiating and being absorbed, giving life. The paneling on the costume is made from reflective recycled materials, giving a futuristic feel and communicating a focus on the future, and future development of lighting up people's lives!"

Below are some more pictures from SolarAid's weekend at The Big Chill...

On Thursday evening, SolarAid joined in on Zombie Night at The Big Chill, to attempt to reach the world record for the most number of people dressed as zombies...

From SolarAider to zombie - getting ready for the Zombie fest on Thursday evening. Photo by Steve Woodward.

Team SolarAid dressed as zombies. Photo by Steve Woodward.

To find out more about The Big Chill Festival, and to view more photos from the weekend, go to: www.bigchill.net/festival