Hive Energy partners with Hay Festival to promote discussion around sustainability and climate issues

Hay Festival is an annual literature festival that takes place in Hay-On-Wye, Powis in Wales every year.

This year, the festival began on Thursday (May 25) and will be running until Sunday (June 4).

Hay Festival seeks to “inspire, examine and entertain with sustainable events and projects around the world.”

Offering innovative platforms to discover new ideas, Hay Festival invites audiences to imagine the world as it is and as it might be. It is a catalyst for change and a community that is open and accessible to everyone.

Nobel Prize Winners, novelists, scientists, politicians, historians, environmentalists and musicians take part in the festival’s global conversation, sharing the latest thinking in the arts and sciences with curious audiences.

The festival was described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as “The Woodstock of the mind”. 

This year, Hay Festival has partnered with Hive Energy, a global leader in green energy and the circular economy. The partnership will consist of events in a ‘Hive Hub’ that encourage discussion around sustainability and climate issues.

There will be a ‘Hay on Earth, Planet Assembly and the Natural World’ division of events. The Hay on Earth series will take part throughout the duration of the festival and will focus on the latest environmental science, sustainable policies, and creative responses to the climate crisis. 

Planet Assembly is a new series for the festival, focusing on solutions-focused workshops once a day. The events will be hosted by sustainability entrepreneur Andy Middleton and will cover topics from energy and health to food and fashion. 

Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said: “Planet Assembly is a bold new Hay Festival project to tackle the biggest challenge facing our world today.

“We want to harness the energy and expertise of our audience from the grassroots up to develop concrete policy ideas and recommendations to regenerate the planet.

“This is a public engine room for uplift. Everyone can take part and contribute throughout the week, while the daily findings will ripple outwards, available free online. Join us.”

The first event, Planet Assembly 1: Energy – What must change? took place on Saturday. It was a solutions focussed workshop where Andy Middleton was joined by Juliet Davenport, Founder and former CEO of Good Energy, and Simon Sharpe, Director of Economics for the UN Climate Champions and author of Five Times Faster. 

Other events include:

• Planet Assembly 2: Health – What must change? – Sunday May 28

• Planet Assembly 3: Food – What Must Change? A Thought Laboratory – Monday May 29

• Planet Assembly 4: Mobility – What Must Change? A Thought Laboratory – Tuesday May 30
• Planet Assembly 5: Water – What Must Change? A Thought Laboratory – Wednesday May 31

• Planet Assembly 6: What We Wear – What Must Change? A Thought Laboratory – Thursday June 1

• Planet Assembly 7: Biodiversity – What Must Change? A Thought Laboratory – Friday June 2

• Planet Assembly 8: Where and how we Live – What Must Change? Thought Laboratory – Saturday June 3

• Planet Assembly 9 – Call To Action with Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh: Results of the Thought Laboratory – Sunday June 4

Andy Middleton said: “We’re bringing experts and citizens together to imagine and develop the practical solutions that close the gap between ideas and actions to address our climate and nature crisis, with buckets of imagination and collaboration.

“Please help us shape and push forwards the urgent action that’s needed. Bring your ideas and voice to our daily workshops at the festival or sign up to the free digital bulletin online now.”

You can find out more about the partnership, Hay Festival, and buy tickets here.