Countdown to World Environment Day

Attendees at last year''s World Environment Day Festival on the Sunshine Coast.

The finishing touches are being added to the Sunshine Coast World Environment Day (WED) Festival which will take place on Sunday 2 June from 10am-5pm at Maroochydore Rotary Park, Cotton Tree.

Tying in with the United Nations theme of Fighting Air Pollution, the aim of Sunshine Coast Environment Council’s WED Festival is to inspire, educate and empower the community to make choices towards an ecologically responsible lifestyle, as well as provide practical opportunities for people to get active in their local community.

Festival Co-ordinator Natalie Frost said the festival was the best chance to showcase and celebrate the work of many dedicated community groups working tirelessly on environmental projects and campaigns across the region.

“The Sunshine Coast is so lucky to have so many dedicated groups and we are very proud to work alongside them,” she said.

“World Environment Day Festival is a great chance for the community to meet and get involved with the groups. We’ve put a lot of energy into this year’s festival and we’re excited to share it with the region.”

For the first time, festival-goers will get to participate in the exciting Festival Trail. Like a scavenger hunt for all ages, participants will follow a trail and engage with the stalls to receive everything needed to take home a locally grown seedling of their own.

“The launch of the new festival trail is a great chance to learn about the work of the groups in an engaging way and contribute to this year’s United Nations World Environment Day theme,” Natalie said.

This year the festival will see a program of artists and speakers on the main stage, accompanied by local performers on The Porch Project stage and a robust offering of speakers at the famed Good Harvest Food & Farm Expo.

Guests have the chance to explore a sustainable lifestyle at the Sunshine Coast Climate Action Now Renewable’s Expo and the future leaders of tomorrow are educated about the environment in the Children’s Forest.

The free event brings together the diverse Sunshine Coast community for a day of friends and family, food and fun, and leaves guests heading home with new ideas of how they can make a lasting impact on the environment. In 2018, over 8000 people enjoyed the day.