Big Turnout for Big Weekend
by Brighton Council
In late March, the Big Weekend of Sustainable Living Ideas festival was held – and turned out to be one of the largest events ever held in the Bridgewater area.
Sustainable Living Tasmania celebrated their 50th birthday at the event, held at the Brighton Civic Centre hall, lecture theatre, carpark and extended through the parkland and into the Botanical Institute down by the water. The massive weekend saw over 100 exhibitors, presenters, workshop hosts and entertainers all share their ideas, projects and initiatives which focused on more sustainable ways of living.
Highlights included a no-dig veggie garden workshop hosted by Gardening Australia’s and Goodlife Permaculture’s Hannah Moloney, as well as cooking demonstrations by Matthew Evans from Fat Pig Farm, where he used a kitchen powered by an electric vehicle. Attendees could also join in on the clothing, toy and book swap, and bring broken household items along for the Eastside Repair Cafe.
For all the foodies, growers and creatives in the community, the indigenous bushfood workshops were presented by Palawa Kipli, fermentation demonstrations from chef Vlad, pottery classes, foreshore walks and talks presented by Landcare Tas, along with hot-composting workshops.
Electric vehicles from the Good Car Co were on site to check out as well as the electric race car from UTAS Motorsports – a real treat for any car enthusiast! Everyone was also encouraged to bring along a non-perishable food item to donate to the Jordan River Services Food pantry.
The weekend was an overwhelming success where people could come along and learn something new, have fun and, most importantly, get involved with living sustainably.