On Saturday, August 10th, community members are invited to gather to celebrate sustainable living at Guelph’s first Zero Waste Festival.
The Guelph Tool Library will present the festival as part of their Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grant. The organization was awarded the grant in the fall of 2018, and will continue to offer their Sustainability Series workshops throughout the until the end of August. So far, their workshops have included clothing repair, furniture refinishing, basic carpentry, and more – all with a focus on reducing personal waste and consumption.
The Zero Waste Festival will offer a a vendor fair with products for creating a low-waste home and lifestyle. There will be a mini Repair Cafe event, with the opportunity to have bikes, clothing, and small appliances or electronics fixed by a team of volunteers. This portion of the event will be free to attend, but pre registration is recommended, and donations are welcome.
As this event is designed to make us converse about our waste and consumption habits, we are asking all participants to use active transportation, public transit, or carpool wherever possible. There will be free vehicle and bike parking, and a bike tune-up station provided by the Repair Cafe and CSA Bike Centre. The Victoria Road Rec Centre is conveniently located on the #13, #17, and #18 bus routes and is a fully accessible building with ramps, accessible washrooms, elevators and automatic doors.
Food will be available for purchase at the festival, and reusable plates and cutlery provided by Hillside Festival will allow for minimal environmental impact. Attendees are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the ample seating indoors and out. The outdoor space offers a newly updated natural playscape for children. Bottled water will not be sold by any food vendors at the festival, but the Water Wagon will be on site – bring a cup or bottle fo
The event will feature a series of workshops and speakers, with pay-what-you-can pricing (suggested $5-$15 per event). Alternatively, a Festival Pass is available for $25-$35, and includes access to two or more workshops and events. Some of the workshops on offer include upcycled rag-rug making, sashiko mending, and furniture refinishing. The full lineup will be released on June 14th, but keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for sneak previews.
For those looking to continue the sustainability discussion after the event, the official Afterparty is being hosted at Royal City Brewing Company from 6 pm to 9 pm.
