The Guelph Tool Library is excited to present the Zero Waste Festival
On Saturday, August 10th, community members are invited to gather to celebrate sustainable living at Guelph’s first Zero Waste Festival.
We are presenting the festival as part of their Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grant. Our organization was awarded the grant in the fall of 2018, and will continue to offer their Sustainability Series workshops until the end of August of this year. So far, our 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.
The event will feature a series of workshops and speakers, ticketed as pay-what-you-can (suggested donation of $5-$15). Alternatively, festival passes are available for $25-$35, and include access to two or more workshops or presentations. Some of the workshops on offer include upcycled rag-rug making, Sashiko Mending, and furniture refinishing. The full lineup of speakers, presenters, and workshops is now available in the schedule below.
In an effort to make the event as low waste as possible, our food vendors will be provided with reusable dishes and cutlery courtesy of Hillside Festival, and water will be provided by the Water Wagon. Bottled water will not be sold on-site by any of our food vendors. We encourage attendees to bring their own containers to enjoy purchased food from a variety of vendors, or pack a picnic lunch that can be enjoyed inside or out at one of the many picnic tables at the Victoria Road Rec Centre.
As the festival is designed to challenge all of our consumption and waste habits, we urge that where possible, attendees use active transportation, public transit, or carpool with friends and family to attend the event. The Victoria Road Rec Centre is conveniently located on the #13 bus route, accessible from Guelph Central Station, and is a short walk from the #17/#18 route that serves the outer corners of the city. There will be free bike and car parking, and a bike tune-up station on site provided by our Repair Cafe volunteers and the CSA Bike Centre.
We are in search of volunteers for all positions to help make the festival a success. Positions include guest services, workshop assistant, waste management and site maintenance, tech crew, and the promotions and outreach team. To fill out a volunteer application, please click here or contact info@guelphtoollibrary.org
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For those looking to continue the sustainability discussion after the event, the official Afterparty is being hosted a short hop down Victoria Road at Royal City Brewing Company from 6 pm to 9 pm with drinks and snacks available for purchase.
Our Sponsors
Festival Friends
Under The Divi Handmade Creations
Upcycler Level Sponsors
Recycling Champ Level Sponsors
Repurposing Star Level Sponsors
Zero Waste Leader Level Sponsors
Molloys Bulk Refill and Soap Supply
