Presenters & Workshops
Join us at EcoFest for engaging talks and workshops where passionate individuals will share their knowledge and skills on sustainable living. These sessions will be held in the Auditorium and various other locations throughout the site. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn, connect, and be inspired by experts and fellow enthusiasts. Together, we can make a positive impact on our!
Allison Davies (she/her) lives and works on Tommeginne country, Lutruwita (Tasmania, Australia) using music and voice therapeutically, as a way of experiencing felt safety within a trauma informed and neuro affirming framework.Alli is a former Neurologic Music Therapist who stepped out of the allied health system after 16 years, and now focuses on enacting societal change by dismantling harmful musical myths. She is founder of ‘A Gathering of Voices’, an online singing community that uses melodic mantra as a trauma informed musical experience via weekly, online song sharing circles.
Alison Davies
A Gathering of Voices™
Presenting in Auditorium
Sunday 12.00pm
A Gathering of Voices™ is an award winning, non-performance based singing experience. We don’t rehearse, we don’t practice, we don’t perform and there is no requirement to have any musical experience or to feel confident in a singing situation. If you feel a spark of interest in the idea of being part of a singing group, but aren’t ready to sing in front of others, you are still welcome!Think of our gatherings as more of a therapeutic experience. A Gathering of Voices™ is a singing group that sings melodic mantras (single phrase affirmations and statements) and song seeds (short songs, or chorus like songs). There will be no need to learn lyrics or sing in perfect harmonies. You will be guided by Alli to sing freely and the result and feeling that this brings will allow for deep creative expression, emotional release and will completely fill your cup.
Re-joice!
Pat Fleming and local deep ecology colleagues will lead the workshop. Pat has over 40 years of leading groups in deep ecology and Work That Reconnects worldwide. She trained extensively with Joanna Macy and collaborated with her and John Seed in writing the book "Thinking Like a Mountain - Towards a Council of All Beings" in 1988. This is still in print and translated into many languages. She recently moved from the UK with her partner to live on the beautiful lutruwita north coast , and is part of an active network of deep ecology practitioners within lutruwita and the mainland.
Pat Fleming
What is deep ecology? Meeting our Ecoself!
Presenting in workshop room
Sunday 12.30pm
An introduction to deep ecology work led by local experienced deep ecology practitioners. We will offer some exercises to explore how to stay open and alive to our feelings, and to each other, within these challenging times of polycrisis. How can we connect to a deeper engaged sense of self, the Ecoself? How does this enable us to celebrate the beauty and deep connections we share with all Life on Earth, and how can we honestly respond and act?
Re-breathe, Re-frame our place
Come and listen to Katrina Kelly from Lenah Game Meats of Tasmania talk about sustainable wild meats + value adding.
Katrina Kelly
Lenah Game Meats
Presenting in Auditorium
Saturday 2pm
A description of the journey from 'roo' to 'wallaby', from 'Aw yuck ya cant eat that' to signature dish at one of Australia's best restaurants.and the environmental benefits which motivated it.
How to RE-imagine food RE-sources, RE-storative agriculture, RE-source utilisation
Tom Kingston is a retired teacher and university academic who has been living in the north west of Tasmania for the past 11 years. He is part of CANWest (Climate Action Northwest Tasmania) and has met most parliamentarians in the north west with little, apparent, success in addressing the climate breakdown.
Tom Kingston
How do we cope living in a time of climate breakdown.
Presenting in Workshop Room
Saturday 11.30am
This will be a workshop designed for its participants to share how they are living with hope in this time of climate breakdown. How do they, whilst acknowledging the climate science and potential dark future, live with hope and act to bring about change.
Aukje Boonstra is a local textile artist and tutor, specialising in working with discarded materials. These are transformed into unique sustainable couture. Hand and machine sewing techniques are employed as well as ecodyeing. Found objects are often used as embellishments in Aukje's work
AukjeBoonstra
TextileArtist
The Cost of Fast Fashion
Presenting in Auditorium
Sunday 1.00pm
The contents of this presentation covers the pollution and working conditions in the textile industry as well as the process of growing and manufacturing of natural fibres, such as linen, cotton, bamboo and animal fibres.The purpose of this is talk is to raise more awareness of all the steps taken to produce our clothing.
Cheryl is the Former Director of Capability Guidance in the Australian Department of Defence. In this capacity she was responsible for studies into submarine capability and alternate energy for the Department of Defence. She also led the Department’s Global Change and Energy Security Initiative, reporting to Secretary and Chief of The Defence Force. Cheryl is currently a executive member of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group and a member of the Superpower Institute.
Cheryl Durrant
Australian Security Leaders Climate Group
Presenting in Auditorium
Sunday 11.00am
Nuclear power is currently on the political agenda. Do we need it and if so, what for? A discussion about the pros and cons of nuclear power for energy and national security in a volatile, unstable world.
Re-think.
Rees Campbell was born and lives in beautiful Tasmania which has imbued her with a sense of wonder and passion for the natural world, conservation and environmentalism. Author of the sell-out Eat Wild Tasmanian and its new expanded edition Eat MORE Wild Tasmanian Rees extended her repertoire to include sea country vegetables and has written The Seaweed Supplement.. As the Feisty Tasmanian, Rees also makes a wide range of preserves and baked goods from the home grown harvest as part of normalising eating Tasmanian native land and sea plants as integral to our mixed horticultural and culinary heritage.
Rees Campbell
Fiesty Tasmanian
Tasmanian edible seaweeds
Presenting in Auditorium
Saturday 1.00pm
Why does the rest of the world eat seaweed, but we don't eat the bounty of the sea given to us each tide? Come and explore the marvellous world of our edible seaweeds - which ones taste best - how to collect prepare and cook them. Learn a bit about the 1000+ seaweeds that grow in our waters, their nutritional and medicinal value. Taste some goodies made with seaweed - if you were a skeptic, you'll change your mind!.
Jill Weaver
Tasmainian rare breeds Poultry club
Presenting in Main St Stall zone
Saturday all day
Sunday all day
Will talk about using chickens to use food waste. Feeding chickens cheaper, chicken health using herbs.
Stop by for a close encounter with some of her chickens or just have a chat.
Jill has been involved with chickens since the age of 8, generally on farms. Later in her life she has become involved in Rare Chicken Breeds. She is the treasurer of the Tasmanian Rare breeds Poultry Club. (https://www.tasrarepoultry.com) At present she has over 200 chickens, breeds poultry for people to have back yard chooks and breeds rare breed chickens on request. She is the author of 'Keeping Happy Poultry' Director of Rare breeds Trust of Aus.
REstyle! Upcycled Fashion Show
Presenting in Auditorium
Sunday 2pm
An upbeat & fun parade showcasing upcycled fashion by students of the north west and sundry festival goers.
To be part of the show with your own creation register here below or ring Nettie 0418896061
To register for the REstyle! Upcycled Fashion Show
Luke Cripps is a Director at Alluvium Water Cremations with almost a decade of experience in the death industry in a variety of roles, and an established reputation for creative and innovative approaches to the promotion of death-literacy in the community.
Alluvium Water Cremations
Emerging Solutions in End-Of-Life Care
Presenting in Auditorium
Saturday 10am
The end-of-life space is amongst the slowest-moving, most parochial industries on the planet, and this isn't without some good reasons. How we die is as important, if not more important for some people, as how we live, and we're reluctant to change how we think or do this. However, there are new approaches to this that are emerging around the globe, and several in Australia that position us as leaders in the push for more sustainable, eco-friendly, and affordable solutions when it comes to end of life. Luke will spend some time outlining these approaches, along with their respective merits and concerns, including water cremation.
Sommer Metske delivers sustainable waste management initiatives across North West Tasmania, with experience in local government, community engagement and education.Cathy Walker is the current Education Officer on the North West Coast for Rethink Waste Tasmania with experience in tertiary education and facilitating the Schools Waste Education Program.
RETHINK Waste Tasmania
Recycling and Composting made easy.
Presenting in under tree in Eat St
Saturday 10am & 2pm
Sunday 10am & 2pm
Rethink Waste Tasmania: Where does our waste go Workshop:We are here to provide practical hints and tips to make recycling and composting easy for everyone.• Show examples of waste and ask where it goes (several for each stream) encourage answers from participants• Explain where recycling goes after the kerbside bin gets emptied and what it gets recycled into• Show examples of things that are not accepted in the kerbside bins and where to take them• Why we should reduce, reuse and recycle plastic? (e.g. to harness the energy and resources in the plastic, to avoid using new materials, to avoid filling up landfill sites, to prevent plastic litter on land or in the sea, to reduce the threat to wildlife and to human health.• What can we do to reduce reuse and recycle plastic? • Q & A session.
Once upon a time Lavender Lily was known for her dancing.Then one sunny day at a festival she heard the rhythm of three djembe.She followed her ears to where the three drummers played, and she began to dance. Epizo Bangoura a master drummer from Guinea called, to her at the end of rhythm 'do you drum?'Lavender Lily shook her head, 'no I'm a dancer.'Epizo coaxed her to sit in front of a drum named Angel, made from Melina wood trimmed with white goats hair. When she placed her palms up over the drum skin and she felt a magnetic pull and her hands slapped the djembe. Epizo grinned and called 'you are a drummer. it's just hand dancing.'Lavender Lily has been dancing with her hands ever since. Just like Epizo, Lavender Lily loves sharing the joyful songs of the djembe where-ever she goes.
Lavender Lily
African Drumming Workshop
Presenting in Lodges Loop
Saturday 10.30am &12.30pm
Lavender Lily will take you on a rhythmical journey sharing the joyful sounds of a classic African Rhythm. No experience necessary. Lavender Lily teaches in a relaxed yet precise way, sharing techniques so that you feel the rhythmical bliss of the djembe.
Bill Flowers is an avid wildlife guru and experienced reptile handler. He was the Senior Keeper and Tour Group Leader at Trowunna Wildlife Park for over 10 years. These days he teaches art at TAS TAFE and is a well-known member of
Central North Field Naturalists.
Bill Flowers
Bill's Nature Display
Presenting in Ecokids
Saturday
Sunday
Hands-on interactive display, featuring LIVE stick insect holding, live bluetongue lizard, colour-ins, touch-&-feel things from the bush, and toy plushy native animals to cuddle.
Association members from Tasmania kindly showcase their vehicles
Australian Electric Vehicles Assoc. AEVA
Electrikhana
Presenting in near Eat St
Saturday 9-3
Sunday 9-3
The Tasmanian branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association return to North West ecofest with their Electrikhana roadshow, providing a short test-drive or ride in a range of electric vehicles (EVs) on site at the festival. The opportunity to experience the ride and chat with passionate EV owners is invaluable for those considering owning an EV in the future.
Camp Clayton
Eco-kids activities and craft
Presenting in ecokids
Saturday 9-4
Sunday 9-3
Camp Clayton Activities group will facilitate activities such as Hop scotch, Giant parachute, Mega Jenga , Archery, Outdoor bowling, table tennis, seed planting and Tas rock painting
Self-described "Jill of many trades", Gabrielle Stannus worked as an environmental educator and planner in local government, before deciding to pursue her passion for plants. After completing a Master of Urban Horticulture, Gabrielle returned to northern Tasmania, where she now runs Inwardout Studio, an integrated building and landscape design business, with her partner, Ludovic. She was also, until recently, as Associate Lecturer in Geography at the University of Tasmania.
Inwardout Studio
Good-looking gardens to tickle your tastebuds!
Presenting in Auditorium
Sunday 10am
Would you like to create a garden that looks and tastes good? Find out how with local landscape designer and writer, Gabrielle Stannus from Inwardout Studio. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to plug a garden gap, Gabrielle will provide you with inspiration to grow more of your own food closer to home.
Dr Peter Johnston is an accredited practising dietitian with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics and a PhD in Human Genetics. Peter is also a fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine and has completed health coaching training with Well Start Health. He has been exclusively plant-based since 1991 after learning of the health, environmental and ethical benefits. Peter runs a private practice: Perfect Human Food Consulting, offering individual consultations, public speaking, webinars, workplace health programs, and residential reboot programs. Peter is an a member of the advisory council for health charity Doctors For Nutrition. He is also a partner with Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine which offers a range of programs including lifestyle medicine retreats in the beautiful Yarra Valley. He has expertise in the prevention, treatment and reversal of chronic diseases through the use of whole food plant based diets and the holistic approach of lifestyle medicine. He enjoys empowering people across all life stages to attain optimal health. Peter has enjoyed attending and speaking at numerous national and international conferences. He has a special interest in the links between food and environment and has also delivers university, conference and community lectures in this area. Outside of nutrition work, Peter is an avid yoga practitioner, loves to cook and garden, lifts weights, surfs and competes in speed windsurfing.
Perfect Human Food Consulting
Eating Our Way to Extinction
Presenting in Auditorium
Saturday 12.00pm
The talk aims to increase people's understanding of the multiple negative impacts that our food systems are having on our environment. These negative impacts constitute major threats to our ecosystem, to our food supply and to the viability of our civilisation. Several recent studies have found that even if all fossil fuel use was ended immediately, we will struggle to not exceed 1.5, and even 2 degrees of warming, without major changes to the way we produce food. The positive news is there are changes that we, as individuals, can make immediately to significantly reduce these negative impacts.The talk runs for approximately 40 minutes.
Sam Cleland managed the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, northwest Tasmania for 13 years. Prior to that, he was a climatologist with the Bureau of Meteorology.
Sam Cleland
Climate Change - A Reality Check
Presenting in Auditorium
Saturday 11am
Climate change is real - that's what everyone says. But how does humanity know this? There are a few sites around the world diligently monitoring the core drivers of climate change. Sam Cleland recently managed one of these sites and talks here about what they are discovering. If you are not yet convinced, or want to delve deeper into how climate change works, come along.
Re-al science, re-ality check, re-new climate safe practices.ctices