EcoGraphics Spotlight

“feast – the taste of sustainable living”
While talks on fair trade production, organic foods, genetic engineering, bush foods and cooking demonstrations were being held, I explored the Feast side of the Festival. It was inspiring to see that the commitment of the Festival to sustainability went so far as to require customers to pay $1 cup and/or plate deposits, especially for disposable crockery, which was of course refunded on their return. There was a “Wash Against Waste” station set up nearby, where ongoing plates and cutlery washing took place. Although primarily manned by uniformed Festival volunteers, the public was more than welcome to contribute by donning rubber gloves and helping out, as I noticed occasionally on passing by. Complementing the washing station was a thorough waste management system, which made available sets of material-specific recycling bins at regular intervals around the Festival. Festival volunteers did routine checks of the bins to make sure the right things were going into each one.

The food available was primarily vegetarian, with also delicacies such as organic pizzas and cakes for sale. The Jasper Coffee stall sold fair trade and shade-grown coffee and tea while The Juice Stall turned out to be most popular, with its bike-powered 100% fruit banana and strawberry ice cream and “Super Juicer”. Although the electricity-free blenders were usually operated by the staff, customers had the option of using their own pedal-power. Imagine that – ice cream that actually helps you to lose weight!

“play – the thrill of sustainable living”
Free, two hour eco-tours of the Yarra River were provided by Parks Victoria, while on land there was the equally enjoyable (and free) service provided by the Bike Station. There, anyone could borrow a 2ndhand bike and helmet for as long as the remainder of the day, and go wherever they fancied. Not just normal bikes were on offer either, for there were tandems and recumbents available. As for the former, I was by myself so I couldn’t try it. And I’d seen enough people making shaky progress to deter me from the latter. But I was game enough for the normal bike, so I spent an amazing half hour riding through the beautiful open park spaces running on either side of the Yarra River, finally to disembark back at the Bike Station, albeit saddle-sore. (It had been years since I last rode a bike.)

One of the things I loved most about the Festival was its dedication to practicing what it preached. All the volunteer’s shirts were supplied by Hunter Gatherer, an accredited “no sweatshop label” clothes retailer. All promotional material used “the latest in environmentally safe inks and recycled paper stocks”, and 100% Green Power was used for the duration of the Festival. What’s more, instead of charging an entry price, visitors were invited to contribute as much as the Festival was worth to them.

The Festival may be over for this year, but I am already looking forward to the next one. It was more than worth it.

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Changes is the Newsletter of Change Design, the student branch of the
EcoDesign Foundation, Sydney | Questions & Comments Welcome
Last Updated April 2004

“create – the art of sustainable living”
Almost thirty separate artworks commenting on and responding to various aspects of sustainability were on display at the Festival, each beautiful and evocative in its own way. My personal favourite was one of the first that I saw, a piece called “3000 Old Bags Stuffing Boundaries” created from three thousand plastic bags and an orange construction site safety barrier by Cheryl Adams. It was eye-catching in scale and its strong colour contrast to the sandstone hues around it, yet memorable in its inherent simplicity of form and message. The artist’s rationale: “When a woman reaches the age of reference as an ‘old bag’, it’s considered that a future life of productivity and achievement is over. I play with this notion by creating a work from 3000 discarded Safeway bags as a metaphor for the ageing woman and a wasteful society.”

On Friday and Saturday twilight sessions of short films were screened at the main stage, featuring works from across Australia such as the animation “The Meatrix” by Free Range Graphics. The open layout of the Square and the outdoor seating at the nearby Chocolate Buddha bar offered a number of good locations to watch from.

“think – the vision of sustainable living”
The Festival as a whole affirmed a need for not only environmental sustainability, but also social sustainability. Cultural displays and performances aside, there were also several information stalls focusing on human and animal welfare, from international organizations such as World Vision and PLAN, to the AAF (Animals Asia Foundation), which focuses its efforts on rescuing bears from bear farms in China. On a local scale were initiatives such as the Green Schools Network Program, and the ‘Green Streets’ campaign, run by Village Green. To me, these information stalls were not merely a backdrop to the performances and other activities at the Festival, because I found it both an integral and enlightening part of my experience to spend a few minutes at the stalls finding out more about what the people there were working to achieve, their motivations and inspirations.

“feel – the passion of sustainable living”
This section focused both on personal well-being as well as maintaining a healthy home atmosphere. The former was supported by the naturopathy, herbal medicine, massage therapy – and many more – treatments available. On the Friday evening mats were laid out on the ground in front of the main stage in the Square to serve as work spaces for the “mass bodybliss” that took place in the open, with large canvas umbrellas set up to shield both practitioners and their recipients from a sun that shone hotly even as it slowly set.

There were also talks, demonstrations and workshops on Yoga, dance and meditation to name a few. While I was there I happened to catch the Laughter Therapy demonstration in action, and quite entertaining viewing it made for too. Frequent sounds of hearty laughter resonated around the sweeping, high-ceiling expanse of the building interior, drawing both amused smiles from the seated spectators and somewhat startled ones from passersby. Running along one side of the interior was a “Path to Happiness”, which lead to the Art Therapy area. People were invited to represent in art form what sustainability meant to them using any of the crayons, colour pencils, and other drawing tools available, with the resulting pieces being pinned up along the wall for public viewing. Nearby were chairs and tables for those who wanted to simply relax and chat for a while in a pleasant environment while overlooking the Yarra River and the busy promenade down below.

The various stalls there sold useful items such as natural household cleaning and personal bodycare products, reusable sanitary pads for women and organic cotton diapers for babies. There I also took a computerized test that helped determine my SQ (Sustainability Quotient) and recommended methods of improvement. Result: ‘Play’ aspect very healthy, as with ‘Relationship’, but ‘Finance’ needs some work...