After hitting the American market as a digestive aid, the green-gold powder worked its way into professional kitchens by the mid-1990s, and has gained a growing following.

WSJ: Fennel Pollen: Culinary Fairy Dust

Mr Lake said he also found himself at odds with the "dither and delay" in the Conservative Party nationally over the economy, Europe, the green belt, gay marriage, immigration and foreign aid.

BBC: Sacked Surrey councillor Ian Lake quits Conservatives

The festival raises money for Greenpeace, Oxfam and Water Aid, while Mr Eavis' other green measures include recycling food waste on the working dairy farm, meaning he has not needed to use chemical fertilisers for almost 40 years.

BBC: Glastonbury tickets are 90% sold

Some believe that in less polluted areas, green walls could be employed to grow food, which could aid urban food security.

CNN: Green walls create new urban jungles

Many Democrats are determined to show their green credentials by forcing Detroit to build more hybrid and electric vehicles as a condition for federal aid whether or not there is a market for them.

ECONOMIST: America's car industry