A POPULAR annual event held at the weekend may have set the benchmark for how green events should be run.
More than 3,000 people got a taste of the good life on Sunday when the Sustainability Centre at East Meon held its annual South Downs Green Fair.
Yet the event, which drew visitors from as far as London, Brighton and Somerset, resulted in just one bin-full of domestic waste.
That impressive feat was a by-product of the ‘Green Fair Charter’ which bosses introduced for this year’s festival.
Stallholders who signed the charter were limited to selling Fair Trade, organic, local and handmade goods while the catering also had a ‘green’ ethos.
‘Bin police’ separated all the rubbish into recyclable and re-use piles with organisers nearly fulfilling their ambition of having a ‘zero waste’ event.
“The visitors and stallholders only created one domestic bin worth of landfill waste,” said Christine Seward, chief executive of the Sustainability Centre.
“Somehow this event gets better and better every year. Organised by a small team of staff who down tools from their normal day job to put this fair together with a huge number of volunteers, it is a special day for all.”
The Green Fair aims to showcase all things eco and environmentally-friendly along with traditional skills, crafts and activities.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was an appearance by renowned ‘no dig’ gardeners and authors Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty.
The pair launched their new book, No Dig Organic Home and Garden, in the Woodland Hall and shared their knowledge and enthusiasm for growing your own.
The Old Tree Co-op brewed up a storm with their botanical brewery, made up of quirky mobile brewing machines and rocket stoves.
The Bushcraft village was also a hive of activity with highlights including blacksmithing, campfire cooking, coppice crafting and willow weaving. The event also raised plenty of funds for the charity’s new learning centre project, as bosses at the Leydene attraction want to give a former HMS Mercury building a green makeover.
“The funds raised enable us to take another step towards,” added Christine.