Greetings Festivarians,

We wait and wait... Laboring over tarp techniques. Planning out the latest sustainable campsite design. Emailing fellow Festivarians from all over the world. Practicing new mandolin licks. Working out a bluegrass-ified Ryan Adams tune for that special late night jam. We wait and wait for Telluride.

And that waiting is now over. The Town Park campground is already a flurry of festivation. Production crews are busy preparing the park for the first tarp run on Thursday morning. We're all here in Telluride. Ryan Adams, Ani DiFranco, The Swell Season, Sam, Béla, Jerry, and Edgar will be here shortly. And we hope you will be, too.

Festival tickets are becoming scarce, but single-day tickets are still available for Thursday and Sunday. If you're still looking for camping or a 4-day festival pass, check out the ticket board at the Festivarian Forum.

If you can't join us in Telluride, tune in to a live stream of several of the main stage performers including Paolo Nutini (first show of 2008!), The Frames (only show of 2008!), Leftover Salmon, and Yonder Mountain String Band. Listen online at koto.org. We'll also try to put together occasional updates and maybe even a few festival photos at our Sustainable Festivation blog.

For those of you driving to the Festival, have a look at our interactive map or personalized driving directions to Telluride. If you have any room in your vehicle, consider sharing the ride (and the gas) with a fellow Festivarian.

Parking is free for all Festivarians. You'll be directed to the appropriate lot based on where you're camping or when you're arriving. If you are camping at Mary Ilium, Lawson Hill, or Telluride High School, proceed directly to your campground to exchange your tickets for wristbands.

The box office in Telluride is located by the west entrance to Town Park on the east end of Pacific Ave. The box office will be open from 10am-6pm on Monday and Tuesday; 9am-9pm on Wednesday; from 8am 'til festival close on Thursday, and 9am 'til festival close on Friday thru Sunday. To minimize your wait, stop by the box office early in the week or early in the day during the festival.

The free gondola connecting Mountain Village to Telluride will have extended hours during the festival - operating from 7am to 2am from Wednesday thru Sunday. In addition to the sold-out Wednesday NightGrass show with Yonder Mountain String Band at the Conference Center, plan to take the wind-powered gondola up to Mountain Village for the Bluegrass Brunch featuring Spring Creek on Saturday from 10am 'til noon.

Tickets are still available for many of the NightGrass shows, including the Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile, Darrell Scott & John Cowan, and all of the screenings of Béla Fleck's documentary Throw Down Your Heart. Tickets will be available at Telluride Music or at the venues about 30 minutes prior to showtime.

Sustainable Festivation was featured on this week's episode of the public radio show Living on Earth. Listen as Steve Szymanski discusses our carbon neutral strategy, Leftover Salmon, food and water, and past festival artists Barenaked Ladies. Says Living On Earth host Bruce Gellerman, "Boy, this bluegrass festival: very ambitious."

If you're looking for a fun and clean transportation option around Telluride (besides the bicycle, of course) consider renting an electric car from Go Green Telluride. Call (970) 708-4023 to learn more about daily and weekly rentals of their 2 and 4-seat Global Electric Motorcars.

Since 2003, the folks at Eco-Products have been helping us with our composting needs. This year they have donated compostable bags which we will be handing out to campers to collect their own compost - which can then be deposited into our large compost receptacles in each campground.

We can't wait to see all of you in Telluride. We spend our entire year preparing for this festival and it's all because of you, the Festivarians. Safe travels, we'll see you on your tarp in a few days.

Best,
The Folks on Planet Bluegrass

Sustainable Festivation Tip #3: Before You Leave

Emergency Packing List

As you load up your pack for the week in Telluride, don't forget a few important items: your reusable water bottle, reusable utensils, reusable plates, reusable bags, and, of course, your collection of vintage beer cups.

The weather forecast calls for Colorado perfection - 74 degrees and sunny during the day. But we will likely also see some chilly nights, so bring along a hat and gloves, even if you're not camping. Don't forget your sunscreen. Drink lots and lots of water.

And, please don't forget to bring your tickets.

Shutting Down Your Home

As you head out the door to Telluride, consider minimizing the footprint of your home while you're away. Turn off your air conditioning. Turn off your computer. Double-check that you've turned off all your lights. Unplug items that might unnecessarily be using electricity, like a microwave.

A few simple sustainable festivation steps from every festivarian will further our goals of making this a 100% carbon neutral event.