Don’t let the name of this weekend’s The Small Things Festival deceive you as the list of environmental and sustainable workshops and displays continues to grow.
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The new event in Warrnambool on Saturday aims to share fun and sustainable skills and ideas with the community.
Organiser Megan Nicolson said there was a range of workshops, displays and activities for adults and children.
Activities will be held at city venues including the civic green, art gallery and the Archie Graham Community Centre.
Sessions include how to make beeswax wraps, visible mending, fashionable upcycling, eucalyptus dyeing, sustainable and resourceful gardening skills and more.
“There’s so much on,” Ms Nicolson said. “I wanted to have hands-on workshops so people could experience the creative sustainable aspects of it which I really enjoy.
“I teach workshops and there’s always a nice community and learning together feel about things like this. It’s mindful and good for health and the environment.”
Ms Nicolson hopes the event will encourage community members to use existing resources to be more sustainable.
“I wanted to make it really engaging and fun for those people who are yet to make changes. To help them see the connection between loving our environment, people who work in the environment and the every day things we can do that will impact sustainability, to reach people in easy ways they can adopt.
“It’s become something quite big and it’s good to have that energy of the arts as well.”
Nature Glenelg Trust wetlands ecologist Dr Lachlan Farrington will host a walking tour around the back of Lake Pertobe, alongside indigenous elders Uncle Robbie Lowe and Uncle Lochie Eccles, who will also do a Welcome to Country.
She said the walks would cover cultural history, waterbirds, fish, vegetation and some of the rarely seen critters that call the reserve home. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and bring a drink bottle and hat.
The senior Nature Glenelg Trust ecologists will provide topical presentations about integrating local ecology within the cityscape and local landscape and there is a threatened species treasure hunt and water bug exploration as part of the event.
Author Paul Jennings will conduct a book signing at the Unreal exhibition at the Warrnambool Art Gallery.
The festival is supported by Nature Glenelg Trust, the Warrnambool City Council, Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority.
To book or for more information go to natureglenelg.org.au/small-things-festival