For those of you in Melbourne this weekend, treat yourself and head on down to Federation Square and Birrarung Marr for the annual Sustainable Living Festival.  It is the premier event on the sustainable living calendar for the year!

I go every year and it is so much fun.  I take along a few friends and whatever kids happen to be living at home at the time, and spend an entire day there.  I love all of the presentations, and the green market, which has so much information for those who are wondering about the green/sustainable lifestyle.  It invigorates and inspires me to do better.

Here is my posts about the festival in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.  A great review of what the festival is all about.  I especially like the food and this is one of the places that I fell in love with a good vegetarian curry!  I can’t wait to listen to what Michael Reynolds (aka The Garbage Warrior) has to say for himself this year.  He was hoot last year.

So if you are in the city, come along and join the fun.  I will be there some of Friday afternoon, and all day Sunday.  We may even cross paths.  You will know me when you see me.  I will be the silver bearded guy wearing the black “The Greening of Gavin” T-Shirt.  You can’t miss me really!

To download the weekend’s program, click on the picture at the top of the page.

See you there.

I thought I would give a Planet Ark campaign a bit of a plug.  Being a recycling advocate, I fully support this cause, and you can also win an iPad as well (Australian residents only)!  Read for the details below.

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Recycle aluminium cans for the chance to win an iPad and surf classic tickets 

After cooling off with a soft drink at the beach this summer, consumers have the chance to win an iPad and tickets to Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic by recycling their aluminium cans and taking a photo of the recycling bin.

To enter the competition, people can simply recycle their cans in the public bins provided and send a photo of the recycling bin to Planet Ark.

Australians are good at recycling aluminium cans at home, but Planet Ark and campaign ambassador, eight‐time world surfing champion Layne Beachley, want to see more aluminium cans recycled at beaches, parks, workplaces, schools and other public spaces.

“Over the last few years many councils and local authorities have installed public place recycling bins on the streets and in parks,” says Planet Ark’s Head of Campaigns, Brad Gray. “Also, lots of shopping centres and food courts have set up bins.  All of this makes recycling aluminium cans easier.”

Over this party season, anyone who goes to outdoor events like concerts in the park, music festivals, open‐air cinemas and markets are likely to notice a range of different recycling bins.

“It’s great that organisers are embracing public place recycling,”  says Gray. “It’s important for everyone to  follow the instructions on the bins.  The more people that recycle properly the greater the environmental benefits, such as cutting both carbon emissions and waste.”

Making an aluminium can from recycled material uses just  5% of the energy needed to make one  from virgin  material.  Aluminium doesn’t degrade during the recycling process so cans are endlessly recyclable ‐ saving precious resources for years to come.

According to RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) by recycling six aluminium cans you can offset a 25‐kilometre train journey, a 17‐kilometre bus ride or a ten‐kilometre trip in an average size car.

“Every year, over $22 million dollars’ worth of aluminium is lost because cans are thrown into landfill,  so  any chance to reclaim them is important,”  says Gray.  “If your school or work doesn’t already have a system set up, why not make a resolution to organise one in 2012?”

Since Australians first started drinking out of aluminium in the 1970s more than 75 billion cans have  been  recycled.  Recycling these cans has not only contributed to environmental savings but also returned over $1.05 billion to the Australian economy.

“To show Australians there are recycling bins all over the country, Planet Ark is urging people to
take a photo of a recycling bin and send it to us for the chance to win an iPad 2 to the value of
$600 and four VIP tickets to the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic surfing event,” says Gray.

For more information and to enter the competition, visit Cans.PlanetArk.org.  

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I am always amazed at the lack of recycling bins around the city of Melbourne, especially in food courts and public places.  So many wasted resources that could be reused like the cans mentioned above.

I will be printing this off and posting it at work, so that folk who are too lazy to take those extra 5 steps to the recycling bin to dispose of their aluminium cans have a reason to change their behaviours.  I am forever fishing out cans from the landfill bin!  Here is a FAQ if you want to learn more about Aluminium recycling.

So please get onboard, where ever you may be.  This stuff is just common sense.

In a follow up to yesterdays post about Shop Less, Live More, I discovered this gem of a video over at TED talks which wraps it all up quite well.  Essentially it further refines the theme down to a process called Life Editing, which is basically declutting on a lifestyle scale.  Graham Hill lets us know his thoughts on Less = More.

Anyway on with the show.

I was nodding my head at the end, thinking this is partly what I was banging on about yesterday, however there is still a twinkle of the consumer culture in his eyes.  I could just make it out!

Gav