Food festival to be held in October

Dunedin's ‘‘eco-heroes'' and sustainability success stories will be celebrated in October during the inaugural Dunedin Spring Food Festival.

Organised by the enthusiastic members of the 350 Dunedin group, the festival and associated events aim to bring the whole community together to mark the start of the growing season and share knowledge about environmental issues and solutions.

‘‘The Spring Food Festival is bringing together disparate groups of people around something that's really fun and that adds significant value to our wider Dunedin community,'' organiser Guy Ryan said.

‘‘Our 350 team is made up of passionate people who are excited about taking action to create the future that we want,'' he said.

The 350 Dunedin group is part of a global ‘‘grass roots'' movement working to raise awareness of climate change and seeking to influence world leaders to make the right decisions at December's Copenhagen convention.

The name ‘‘350'' refers to the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.
The Dunedin Spring Food Festival, to be held at Dunedin Railway Station from 10am to 4pm on October 24, will coincide both with the Otago Farmers Market and events throughout the country.

It is set to be the largest 350 event in the country, with stalls, workshops, entertainment, giveaways and awards, and will be filmed for a documentary.

Alongside the festival, several Dunedin churches plan to ring their bells 350 times, and members of the ‘‘350 riders'' movement will participate in a 10km ride.

The Dunedin Spring Festival is supported by Dunedin City Council, Otago Polytechnic, Otago Farmers Market and the University of Otago Design Department.

• 350 Dunedin is putting out the call to Dunedin residents to nominate local sustainability success stories for an award at the Spring Food Festival.

Nominees can be an individual of any age, or a group working sustainably in a range of areas, such as transport, gardening, recycling, or building.

Nominations close on September 4, and can be emailed to dunedin 350@gmail.com or posted to Sustainability Success Stories, 122 Queen St, North Dunedin 9016.

Include your nominee's name, contact details and an explanation of why they deserve the award.