Help Bob Save The Planet

16 May 2003

Meet Bob St Barbe. He's a softly spoken 55-year-old with a calm and engaging manner and an acute awareness of his responsibilities.

Which is just as well. Bob is the festival's infrastructure manager, a title which barely does justice to the task that faces him.

His remit is as vast as the festival site itself, from overseeing the installation of 10 miles of water pipes to the construction of nearly 2,500 toilets and ensuring the massive perimeter fence is completed on time. In between those things there are a thousand other issues to resolve on a daily basis.

He's not alone, of course. At some time or another he'll have around 700 people working for him and he regards himself as merely a part of the team that brings the festival together.

But, as the campaign to keep Worthy Farm green gathers momentum, Bob's work has become more than just important. And he knows it.

The prosecution which followed last year's festival has left organisers fearing that further pollution would put the future of the event in serious doubt. That's why so much work and thought has gone into the green campaign, with special emphasis on using the toilets properly (and not blocking them with rubbish), not fouling the river or hedgerows, bagging up litter and recycling anything that can be saved.

"Last year was a real low point for me," said Bob. "We tried desperately to minimise the damage to the river. We mustn't let it happen again."

The appeal to festival-goers to protect the beauty of the farm is one of the most important in its 33-year history. For, if the festival is a microcosm of everything that is hopeful about humanity then it will certainly be heeded.
But if it is ignored, what possible chance is there for the rest of the world?

And if you put it that way, Bob's job is really about saving the planet. So let's give the man a hand, ok?

...................

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