By Callum Ludwig
Yarra Valley ECOSS’ annual Ecotopia event is coming up next month, set to mark the launch of Permaculture Week in the Yarra Ranges and with a distance African theme this year.
A whole week of events from YV ECOSS, Permaculture Yarra Valley and Peace Farm will follow from Ecotopia on Friday 17 March.
Executive Officer at YV ECOSS Chelsea McNab said we have such a huge opportunity to promote permaculture in the Yarra Ranges.
“We all realised during Covid and now how quickly supply chains can stop and food can disappear from the shelves and we really need to be growing more of our own, but we need to do it in a way that nurtures the land,” she said.
“We need to have regenerative permaculture techniques in our farming so that we’re not depleting the soils, we want to enhance everything not deplete it.”
Ecoptopia will be filled with plenty of entertainment for all who attend, with live performances from Yarra Valley Drummers, Tilda and Stella from Little Yarra Steiner School, Warburton artist Jayda Jean, master drummer and multi-instrumentalist Kofi Kunkpe, funk jazz and afrobeat band Mount Kujo and the Toora Teskeys, the parents of the famous Teskey Brothers.
The Dreaming Space Circus Dome will host story time from Eastern Regional Libraries and a Kids Permaculture Show, while the ECOSS Valley Market will be running alongside inc with stalls including PEACE Farm Heritage Tomato tastings, Yarra Valley Bee Groups Honey Tastings, African food tastings and cooking demo, UpCycles and a kids bike activity by JigSaw Jumps (for ages 3-10, helmet required).
Ms McNab said it’s really important that we localise our economy, support our local growers and grow our own going forward.
“The Yarra Ranges has shown to be quite an unhealthy region across the board with only about 4 per cent of locals eating the amount of fruit and vegetables they are supposed to be [according to statistics from Yarra Ranges Council’s Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025.],” she said.
“When you grow food, you tend to eat fresher food and we can pass on those skills to future generations. There’s a lot of land out here and most people can contribute to their own food source, whether you just grow a couple of herbs in a pot or can fully farm your own land.”
Tickets are $15 Adult, $10 Concession, $25 Family and Kids under 18 free.
For any Stallholder Applications email: ecotopiastalls@ecoss.org.au
