Chippo locals become sustainable heroes

Chippendale will be divided into four ‘paddocks’ during the Food for the Future fair this Saturday.

The sustainable food fair will bring together local producers and consumers as a way of bypassing the big supermarket chains. Organisers say this saves on fuel costs while also offering better tasting food.

‘The fair was always about convincing the people of Chippo and its surrounds that food sustainability is possible, even in the very centre of a large city,’ says Food for the Future spokesman, Michael Mobbs. ‘Locals clearly agree with that philosophy, so the fair will now focus on building on the growing enthusiasm, and encouraging more people to buy directly from Sydney basin farms.’

Other Chippendale residents are embracing sustainability more intimately by growing their own fruit and vegetables in backyards and on balconies.

A year ago, 16 households on Myrtle Street took sustainable living to the next level when they began to grow an assortment of fruits (raspberries, oranges, mandarins, lemons) in a communal garden.

Fair organisers say the Chippendale precinct will be transformed during the Food for the Future event. It will feature various satellite events, with farmers and producers from the Hawkesbury Basin selling their wares from the back of their trucks. There will also be country-style stalls displaying all kinds of local produce.

There will also be demonstrations on how to build a leaky drain to water trees.

The fair will also showcase art by children from Pine Street Creative Art Centre. Using printmaking and drawing techniques, children created individual works as well as a collaborative banner.

NG Art Gallery will be hosting a Feast for the Future lunch with a panel of guest speakers such as food writer John Newton, sustainability consultant Michael Mobbs, Powerhouse Museum curator Anni Turnbull, City of Sydney councillor Chris Harris and a number of leading Australian artists including Juliet Holmes a Court and Janet Laurence. This will be in conjunction with the Food for Thought exhibition which will be held at this time in the NG Art Gallery featuring the works of 30 artists interpreting this theme.