Eco festival success

10:14am Tuesday 14th October 2008

Hundreds of people attended the One Planet Festival’s Sustainability Expo eco fair in the Ashton Hall, Lancaster Town Hall, on Saturday.

The eco fair saw 36 exhibitors of renewable technologies and environmentally friendly goods and services come together in The Ashton Hall – the concert hall which is part of Lancaster’s historic Grade II listed town hall, the roof of which is insulated with Thermofleece sheep’s wool insulation.

The sprung wooden dance floor was the setting for a lifesize back yard sustainable garden full of beautiful ornamental edible plants in recycled containers, designed by Jennifer Lauruol and built by Piccadilly Garden.

Expo organiser Dawn Groundsell of Lancaster-based climate change project LESS (Local and Effective Sustainable Solutions), said: “We’re thrilled that so many people came.

“I’d like to thank all the exhibitors for coming and everyone who took part and helped make it such a great day. I’ve had tremendous feedback from the exhibitors asking if we’ll hold it again next year – but we’ll have to wait and see about that.”

The Expo or eco fair is being organised by LESS, which will be giving out energy saving advice, free low energy lightbulbs and selling energy saving gadgets.

The eco fair was followed on Saturday evening by the highlight of the festival – climate change campaigner George Marshall’s stand up climate change comedy cabaret Carbon Detox, at The Dukes, which was attended by around 150 people.

The One Planet Festival environmental film festival continues at the Dukes this week, with films Who Killed The Electric Car? tonight (Tuesday, October 14, at 7.30pm, The End of Suburbia on Thursday, October 16, at 8.15pm and a pedal-powered free screening of How Cuba Survived Peak Oil on Friday,October 17, at 8.15pm.

For more information see www.oneplanetfestival.com