Going Organic
with Eleesa Zlatic of the
The Organic Market, Macleay Island.
(monthly column from The Friendly Bay Islander magazine - September 2016 edition)
Spring is in the air, and we are excited to celebrate the
Spring Equinox at our Infinite EarthFest on
September 24th
.
The Spring Equinox actually marks the first day of Spring
astrologically, it is a point in the year when the length of the day and night
is almost equal. After the Equinox the days grow longer and the earth warms up
from its winter dormancy.
Spiritually it has throughout time and cultures signified
moving into the light, having gone through the dark of winter and the dark night
of the soul, we now move into new beginnings. We all know to plant new seeds in
Spring, this is true of ourselves as well. Start making your dreams come true,
take the first steps toward manifesting your ideas, welcome new relationships
and nurture an acceptance and understanding of yourself.
Many people are awakening to their role as custodians of the
earth and its creatures, and this Festival celebrates the role of
Bees in our environment, and our opportunity to make a difference
in our own backyards by working together to create ‘Chemical Free
Islands’.
The plight of the honey bee and native bees is in our hands,
we can either take responsibility for their future, or ignore it. If we
understand that their future and ours is intertwined, then it is a no brainer as
to which choice to make. Most of our food producing plants rely on bees to
pollinate them, without the bees we lose a great variety of foods from the
planet. It is a big deal, and something we can change. The best place to
create any change for the world, is with ourselves first, in our own backyards,
and in our own communities.
Numerous studies are proving that colony collapse and disease
in the hives is integrally connected with the use of herbicides and pesticides
in our environment. Some of the main culprits are the large monoculture farms
which spray intensively to produce better yield. But it is also true of the
many suburban homes that use weedkillers, and pesticides.
We have put together a local campaign with the help of Miss
Zaki and the Prep A class at Macleay Island State School, to educate and show
locals how to create ‘Chemical Free Islands’. We will have more information at
the Festival, so please pop in and show your support.
The Festival is all about taking time out from life, enjoying
the community gathering, meeting new people, supporting local stallholders,
listening to great music, eating delicious food, attending talks about bees,
participating in the workshops and enjoying the vibe, described as a ‘big warm
hug’ at the last festival.
One
of the activities to get involved in at the Infinite EarthFest is our Star
Weave Jam. So come along and weave stars in support of the One
Million Stars to End Violence project. All stars made will feature as
part of an installation at Redland Performing Arts Centre in February 2017
thanks to the Redland Art Gallery Star Weave community which we’re supporting.
The stars will again be displayed as part of the Arts and Cultural program at
the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. We’ll provide all the materials and
assistance needed to weave your stars on the day (and we will be utilising
various recycled materials rather than using traditional ribbon!). More details
about the activity can be found by following our social media accounts and for further
information about the One Million Stars to End Violence project please
visit www.onemillionstars.net
There will be loads of wonderful stalls showcasing recycling,
eco-friendly products, and the wonderful work community groups do. Coffee and
Food will be available on the day, plus of course our fabulous chemical free
produce and dry goods for sale at The Organic Market. We are blessed to have
our fantastic and talented local band Island Time playing a great
variety of music on the day. So please pop the 24th September in your
calendar…. we look forward to seeing you there!
