Green Phoenix gets UN badge

Green Phoenix Festival have announced that they are the first UK Festival to gain UN Blue Laurels badge as it is recognised as a United Nations University Regional Centre for Expertise for Education on Sustainable Development (RCE).The Green Phoenix Festival taking place at Gibside National Trust Estate between 19-22 August and hosts a wide ranging debate and discussion programme run by Dr Caspar Hewett of The Great Debate (http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk).  Just confirmed are Clive Lord, founder member of Green Party, and Tony Allan, Stockholm Water Prize Laureate as high profile speakers taking part in The Great Debate programme (http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/GrPhoenx10.html), Niel Bowerman co-founder of Climatico and the Climate Change Project; Medical Journalists' Association prizewinner, Rita Carter; Suzy Dean, lecturer and journalist on multi-culturalism, freedom and democracy and Daniel Ben-Ami author of Ferraris for All: In Defence of Economic Progress. Debates at the Festival include: What is sustainable culture?; Energising Innovation; Food and Water Security; Limits to Freedom; Limits to Growth in 21 Century; The Borders of Imagination; The Legacy of Multiculturalism and Are We Masters of our own Destiny? Music includes legendary reggae act The Wailers, as well as wonderful world, folk including Martha Tilston, Eily Portman, dub group Zion Train and festival acts Seize the Day, The Baghdaddies, Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle and Diddly Squat, as well as theatre, cabaret and a family friendly area.  Four, three and two day and Sunday tickets available, however the Festival has a new lower capacity of 4,000 people so tickets are very limited. To buy tickets and for the full line up see www.greenphoenixfestival.org.uk