“Greenfest is Brisbane’s free green festival and place for fresh energy! It’s your festival, to come together with your community and express how you care for the planet.”

This was just the First of many to come, and what a success. The festival rose above all expectation and to put it simply, bloody huge! I’m Really impressed with the turn out also. Its great to see so many are interested in making a difference if not willing to learn about it at least.

Everything was there, from the hippie like Eco Drums Tent and the Griffith College of art’s recycled tree encouraging everyone to release the inner artist by painting a leaf, to the ultra modern hybrid cars and electric scooters and bikes.

Although the Toyota Prius was the star among the long list of low carbon emission cars on display in the ‘Green Motor Show’, I found myself attracted to the tiny yet cute as Fiat 500. However as we are both proud owners of two Hyundai ‘Gets’ (in the top ten low carbon emissions) I should mention Hyundai with their flashy Euro style i30. Only thing that would have topped off the Green Motor Show Would be the presence of the Tesla Roadster 100% Electric Sports car. Tesla will have a huge impact on this planet in the very near future and a welcome addition to next years Festival. …dK

I was stoked to see that the first stall we visited sold soapnuts. Always on the lookout for a greener washing detergent, I had heard about these little beauties, but not gotten round to purchasing any. The ladies at the Soap in a Nutshell stall were more than happy to fill us in on how the nuts work (they contain an active, natural washing detergent called saponin) and what their uses are (you can also use soapnuts in a spray bottle for cleaning surfaces, as well as cleaning tarnished jewellery!). Damien & I happily bought a sample pack. These gems are also compostable and according to one lady, her chickens love them, too

We had the opportunity to meet the lovely Keeta Gibson, co-founder of Non-Toxic Life, an Australian company committed to helping you detox your home and body! Their website has an amazingly comprehensive range of products free of toxic chemicals and GMO ingredients, all available for purchase in their online store.

Cooking with solar! How awesome is this?! I just love the idea – first, I need to make my own solar oven, though. After talking to the friendly people at the solar cooking stall, I realised that this venture is surprisingly easy! Using the sun’s energy to cook our food saves energy and money. Yay! …Em

You cant have a eco Festival without loads of Organic Produce & Meat, and Brisbane’s First Greenfest wasn’t going to let us down. The diverse range of eco friendly naturally clean food on display provided insight into healthy alternatives to the heavily sprayed, preservative filled supermarket products, and promotes healthy farming techniques that the planet thrives on. …dK

The Red Dragon Inn – the most heavenly drinks on Earth! Damien knocked back a bottle of certified organic ginger beer (Australia’s only) and I thoroughly enjoyed a lemon myrtle and rosewater iced tea – so much so that I bought a bottle of the cordial to mix up and drink whenever I please. Another beverage I had my eye on was the mulberry crush. Fingers crossed that Richard will be at the Woodford Folk Festival this year – I’ll be his best customer.

Trying to be a good girl at the moment and cut back on sugar – Raw Ecstasy from Byron Bay were a godsend. Gluten, dairy and sugar free, raw sweeties! I’ve been munging out on their Ecstasy Balls all week.

Film and Music also played a big part of the festival – two stages with bands playing throughout the day and night. It was great to hear tunes as we wandered about the Fest. Damien & I made sure we picked up a copy of the Greenfest CD filled with local raw talent before we headed home.

One band that particularly stood out for me was The Wishing Well. I’m not going to go on about the ins and outs of what they played and how they played it – Damien’s the one to talk to about those sort of things being a muso – all I have to say is that I loved the music and thought they were awesome. …Em

Whale Dreamers headed up the film side of things and is definitely one film to add to your ‘must see’ list. An inspirational documentary bringing together a diverse group of the worlds indigenous leaders reinforcing the need to make peace with the environment and proving that we all can make a difference. We had a good chat with Tony of Whale Dreamers and designer of the Awesome Whale Dreamers T-Shirts. These are screen printed on 100% Australian made Organic Cotton or Hemp and available on the Whale Dreamers website. …dK

No dam! You’ve probably seen these signs and heard about the not-very-well-thought-out proposals for the Traveston (or Travesty?) Dam, which will destroy the delicate eco-systems and threaten the endangered species, of the Mary River, which runs from the Sunny Coast up to the Great Sandy Strait. Read up on the facts then sign the petition at: savethemaryriver.com Also, this bloke’s doing an awesome job for raising awareness. Check out: kayak4earth.com If the Traveston Dam turns out anything like the State Government’s other recent dam blunder, the Paradise Dam (singled out by the World Wildlife Fund, for a special mention, as an example of worst practice of dams worldwide), then we’re in for a lot of trouble – and not much water saving efficiency, either. …Em

For more photos of the 2008 Greenfest Check out the Greenfest Photo Group on Flickr. …dK

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