The Sustainable Living Festival (SLF) is an award-winning event that seeks to raise awareness and provide tools for change about current global ecological and social challenges.
This annual event is the largest sustainability-themed event within Australia and internationally, and regularly attracts an estimated 200,000 visits each year. Now celebrating its 15th year, the Festival has grown exponentially from its regional beginnings in 1998 through to the current two-week statewide event that in 2013 hosted more than 300 individual events. With growing public interest in sustainability, there is a need for a national voice and the Festival is currently seeking to link with other capital city based sustainability events to create the National Sustainable Living Network.
History shows that events are one of the most powerful instruments for creating social change. Events such as SLF have the unique ability to engage large numbers of people with handson experiences thereby connecting individuals to positive solutions and enabling community action.
There is evidence that attendance at events leads to increased levels of community awareness, which is critical in building capacity for mass behaviour and social change. The group setting associated with events goes on to foster public communication to assist in forming social norms around newly accepted behaviours.
SLF utilises a successful community engagement and mobilisation model that encourages and supports individuals, community groups, business and local government to host and promote their own sustainability events. The Festival aims to create positive and celebratory messages to connect people to each other and sustainability solutions that inspire them to incorporate more sustainability in their lifestyles.
The Big Weekend is the Festival’s flagship event held in the heart of Melbourne city at the iconic Federation Square. This event hosts a number of dedicated programs including The Green Market comprising innovative product and service solutions as well as the Oasis Food Village; the Education Day Program aims to create future action-oriented leaders to think critically, engage with their peers, and use creativity and innovation for their project and campaign ideas. The State of Sustainability Program comprises a large number of local community events held within metropolitan suburbs and regional towns and all celebrating some aspect of sustainability.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Festival, and regularly dedicate their time, knowledge and energy to the event. The community-driven event relies strongly on SLF’s family of committed and enthusiastic volunteers as well as the large number of new people attracted every year who often use their experience as a motivation to change careers into the sustainability field.
The Festival aims to be a leader and educator in sustainable event management practice. The dedication has enabled SLF to develop the award-winning Sustainable Events Planner, which addresses event accomplishments and areas for improvement relating to energy, water, waste, transport and procurement.
Director Luke Taylor’s Top four picks for 2014 Sustainable Living Festival
Battle of the Big Ideas for Sustainability
Leading national thinkers and doers present some of the most cutting edge ideas about sustainability; ideas that will aid the rapid transition to a safe climate and sustainable society. Hear how these visionary and practical ideas can be implemented in Australia within a decade.
Featuring Jon Altman, Sarah Rees, Jess Miller, Matthew Wright and more.
Hosted by Jason Clarke.
February 15, 3pm-5pm
Deakin Edge, Fed Square
2°C – Too High
Germany’s Dr Malte Meinshausen, from the world-renowned Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, presents how we are pushing the climate system to breaking point. What are the likely catastrophic implications of 2 degrees of global warming? This target may represent current political reality, but what are we signing up for and is it possible to avoid it?
February 16, 12.30pm-1.30pm
Speed Date a Sustainable Expert
Considering building or renovating? Make your home greener – grab a date with Melbourne’s leading sustainable designers and experts. Bring sketches, plans and photograph. The experts will offer free advice, solutions and inspiration.
February 22, 2pm-4pm
Drill Hall, 26 Therry Street, Melbourne
Chris Jordan (US)
It’s hard to speak of environmentally and socially engaged art without mentioning the illustrious Chris Jordan, whose work has been described as aesthetically beautiful, mind-boggling, and thought provoking. Best known for his series Running the Numbers, which turns powerful statistics about consumption into large-scale photographic art, Chris examines topics of waste, consumerism and environmental destruction in an extraordinarily engaging manner. Be inspired by this internationally acclaimed artist and social activist in a special Festival keynote.
Deakin Edge, Fed Square
February 15, 1pm
Luke Taylor is the Director of the Sustainable Living Festival
slf.org.au
