I discovered at GreenFest who I want to be when I grow up… Dr Jane Goodall.
If her name sounds familiar, but you can’t quite place it, Dr Goodall is a leading Primatologist who made break-through research in the study of Chimpanzees in Africa. She is an Advocate in making our world a better place through protecting our wildlife, spreading the word about sustainable living, and as the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, inspiring our youth with a bright future full of compassion, conservation and love for each other and our planet.
The thing that struck me most about Dr Goodall, was not only her passion, wit and intelligence, but also her genuine-ness (hmmm… is there such a word?)
We – and other GreenFest attendees at Southbank Brisbane watched this tiny framed woman stand on the stage and give us a greeting in Chimpanzee that echoed across the Piazza and brought goosebumps to all present. There was no inhibition in her Chimp-call, and no holding back on her passion for these beings she works so closely with – and who we as humans are so closely related to.
I can say wholeheartedly that Dr Jane is my hero and a Sustainability thumbs up (and fingers, and toes!) for the work the Jane Goodall Institute is doing world-wide. You’re welcome to visit the Institute’s Website – you may even like to become involved.
A friend and I attended GreenFest on Friday – hoping to avoid the crowds we thought would flock there over the weekend. It rained (yipee!) and was overcast most of the day – which I think affected the lack of numbers attending. But, as Dr Goodall said, the rain (quite heavy at one point) was like a blessing from the earth telling us that the festival was a step in the right direction. It was lovely to see the rain as we’ve been experiencing a drought here.
I decided not to take LTSH (Long Term Suffering Husband) to GreenFest – much to his disgust! He stayed at home and baby-sat some tiny birds that had come into care (the type that need to be fed every 20 minutes). Besides, I knew any edible product that we bought through the day would never make it home if he was there!
There was a good variety of stalls ranging from Organic Produce to Hybrid Cars, Composting Systems and Alternative Transport (different types of cycles) to Environmental Lobby Groups, and hand-made hemp clothing through to ‘non-cook’ cakes and slices. Yumbo!
The musicians were awesome! Many of the festival-goers grabbed a bite to eat and sat down to enjoy the music.
My friend and I grabbed a few different products around the stalls – including:
- hand-made organic soap
- a lip-balm made from olives
- 100% cotton clothes
- some awesome soap nuts that are a natural alternative to washing powders and liquids (can’t wait to try them)
- a Bokashi Bucket (kitchen composting set up)
- a stack of GMagazines
- a sachet of organic face cream (which our pet parrot promptly bit into when I got home – but he’s okay, so fortunately nothing scarey in the ingredients there)
- We signed a petition with The Wilderness Society to help save the rainforests in Cape York from development (Did you know that the Golden Shouldered Parrot can now only be found in a tiny area on Cape York and it’s also the only place where Cuscus live?)
- I drooled with desire over some absolutely beautiful, classy clothes made from natural products as I staggered past the PurePod stall that night (I ate too much at dinner and was starting to fatigue from digestion kicking in)
- Bought some Olive Tapenade – which I stupidly left in the fridge of the Hotel where my friend was staying. So I’m relying on Karen to taste-test and let me know what she thinks.
- And I got to meet Stan and Jane, the Solar Chefs from Sizzling Solar Systems, who cook using Solar Cookers. (Can’t wait to interview them for an article. Jane says that by using the solar cooker each day she has lowered their electricity bill by 30%. Wow! Another Sustainability Nut thumbs up!)
I’ll do a test drive of all of the products I picked up and let you know what I think and where they can be found.