Countdown to kids’ Eco Festival

Luna Park’s famous entrance will form the gateway to Australia’s first green-living expo for children this weekend, as the Eco-Kids Festival brings fun of a different kind to the venerable amusement park. Between 10am and 5pm on Sunday, the park will play host to eco-workshops on topics from worm farms to renewable energy, interactive displays, organic food stalls and roving performers.

According to Festival director Ben Eadie, the festival aims to act as an ‘umbrella’ for the large number of eco projects for kids currently underway. For Mr Eadie, the idea grew from experience delivering his own brand of ‘Eco Events’ for councils and festivals throughout Sydney. “What’s been really obvious is that the children are the most engaged,” he said. “Parents take the information in, but children are fascinated by solar cells and permagardening [especially].”

The Festival will see the launch of the Children’s Kitchen Garden, for which the initial site will be Bourke Street Public School in Surry Hills. It is a non-profit association, based on a model developed by Melbourne chef Stephanie Alexander, which is intended to allow inner-city students the experience of growing, harvesting and preparing food. “The idea is that kids get an opportunity to be educated on permaculture gardening…and they learn the skills to grow their own food and take that home with them,” Mr Eadie said. “In an urban environment with high-rises and not much space, there’s not much opportunity for children to have an interactive part in the process.”