Are you as excited as we are to hear that Eco Challenge Gold Coast 2016 will join with Toolona St as part of Bleach* Festival on March 19?
And thanks to Climate Wave Enterprises for providing sustainable event management practices we’re all going PLASTIC FREE & SOLAR POWERED, Yew!
“Tugun’s most famous resident, the iconic 90-year-old Moreton Bay Fig Tree takes centre stage once again as Bleach* Festival’s series of infamous street parties roll on.
Arrive early for the Surfrider Foundation Eco Challenge presented by Climate Wave Enterprises, a 100% solar powered, sustainable surfing lifestyle event that evolved from a love of the ocean, and features a wooden surfboard competition, displays, eco-market stalls and much more.
Discover the history of ‘Jungen’ (Tugun) as Banaam Events share the rich ties of the Gold Coast’s ‘Saltwater Mobs,’ through expressions of art, music, workshops, food and storytelling from Elders.
After making new friends at one of the long communal dining tables, stroll beneath the lantern lights and branches of that beloved fig and wander into a twilight bliss as the sounds of Electrik Lemonade, Robbie Miller and Ivey emanate into the night.” Thanks Bleach* Festival
As this event is Plastic Free please bring your own water bottle which can be filled for a gold coin donation at the Water Swallow mobile hydration station & bring your own reusable coffee cups also.
Ride your bike and leave it at the bike racks kindly provided by Active Travel Department, City of Gold Coast.
Also please take particular note of our 4 bin waste stations which include an Organic & Compostable bins as well as the traditional Landfill & Recycling bins. The idea being food scraps will be scraped off into the organic bin and the plates & cutlery will go in the compostables. At the end of the event the organic/food scraps will be collected by a lucky beneficiary. The compostables will be ground down into a manageable size to be composted through the Southern Beaches Community Garden rather than wasted by the standard practice of being dumped into landfill. This practice is one component of sustainable event management that this event encourages and we plan to assist other events to similarly lighten their impact on local resources and our environment.
Eco Challenge: 12.00pm – 5.00pm
Toolona Street Festival: 4.00pm – 9.00pm
This year we kick off with the Surfrider Foundation Eco Challenge Roots of Surfing Teams Challenge featuring teams from Vissla, Gold Coast Surfing Lawyers, Banaam and looking forward to confirmation from Patagonia, Volcom, Maywood Surfboards &/or Eco Superfoods. This is a sanctioned event through the Alley Boardriders Club and insured by Surfing Queensland.
6 Teams x 6 surfers in each Team, so a total of 36 surfers in a tag team format showing us their style & strategies as they battle each other, potentially cyclonic sized swell (which we’ve had each year of the event) and the relatively unknown Alaia Surfboards. These ancient Hawaiian surfboards can be very difficult to perform on but once conquered are graceful and are the most sustainable craft in the water today. There’s something about getting back to the roots of surfing and gliding on ocean currents with a wooden plank under you that makes this event a spiritual journey.
At the half way mark there’ll be an expression session open to anyone from experienced surfers down to novices to see if they can master this special craft. If we’re lucky there will be Paipo’s available to ride courtesy of Banaam Indigenous Surfing organisation who will be offering a DIY shaping bay.
Up in the park under the beautiful Pandanus trees will be our solar powered music stage, “The Sunflower” courtesy of Southern Cross University featuring artists of the ilk of Christine Olive Finlay whose gorgeous song can be heard on the video of last year’s event. Also entertaining us will be Gold Coast Hula Dance School Na Pua O Australia, The Beat Drummers & Emmyjae.
Other activities include:
- hollow wooden surfboard displays
- Alaia & Paipo shaping displays & DIY by Banaam
- Boomerang making displays by Banaam
- sustainable surfing industry products
- Plastic fashion parade
Connect with this event:
https://www.facebook.com/EcoChallengeGoldCoast
https://www.facebook.com/surfridergct
https://www.climatewave.com
Instagram: surfridergc
Twitter – @surfridergct
For more info or to connect with event organisers contact Greg Howell 0414 939 942
