Oh so sustainable

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
YARRA Valley ECOSS was in full swing on Saturday, holding its first Sustainable Food and Ideas Festival.
Hundreds of people ventured through the Wesburn community park on Saturday 30 April taking part in a range of practical workshops, demonstrations and stalls.
Yarra Valley ECOSS operations co-ordinator Grant Eastwood said they had a perfect day. “For a first-time event we felt really encouraged that we’ve started something that will continue on for many years,” he said.
Mr Eastwood said the workshops were a highlight, with topics such as grafting, cooking, propagation and recycling, and many independent sustainable food enterprises to check out.
“We also had three great speakers on food security and what that means during climate uncertainty,” he said.
Kirsten Larsen from the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab, Christian Nielsen from Live and Learn Environmental Education and Graeme George from Community Harvest presented their case for practical and creative action.
“Christian told some great stories about how we can learn from more traditional cultures on how to preserve our environment,” Mr Eastwood said.
“But the highlight really was the vibe, it was like a big community party.”