In November 2012, Solway held it’s first fair for over 10 years. As well as providing a fun day out for the community, one of the key objectives was to be as carbon neutral and sustainable as possible. To help us achieve this goal, we undertook the following:

* Our Sustainability Committee Convenor sat on the Fair Steering Committee

* We sought advice on sustainable best practices from other schools and our local Boroondara Council Sustainable Education Officer

* Our Sustainability Stall sold indigenous natives, eco-net shopping bags, Onya veggie sacks, vegetables grown from the Kitchen Garden and veggie seedlings

* We used biodegradable cups and plates on all food stalls

* All food was served with bamboo cutlery

* 7 recycle bins with signage caps (loaned from Council) were located around the school making it easy for people to put their waste in the correct bin

* We used biodegradable cellophane wraps on all cakes sold

* Clear signage was displayed on all food stalls to indicate where to deposit cutlery, cups, plates, etc

* We installed bike racks (loaned from Crumpler Bikes) to encourage visitors to cycle to the event

* We offered a ‘Free Bike Safety Check’ at our Bike Station

* Our Bike n’ Blend smoothie bikes showed how non carbon energy can produce great results!

The Fair was a great success in many ways. Our community shared a wonderful day out, we raised valuable funds for exciting new projects at school and we were able to share our sustainable message with the community. A message which says that to be sustainable is simply a way of looking at things and a way of doing things which eventually become a way of living. It doesn’t have to be more complicated, more difficult or even more expensive. We hope that our visitors were able to take this message home with them.