This year’s Renew Fest will be aiming for evolution in its programming, with three key innovations.
Creative director Ella Rose Goninan says they are ‘cross-pollinating minds’, ‘keep it grounded, keep it real’ and, ‘a common-wealth of wisdom’.
‘This year’s program will break down the silos of the sustainability agenda, and deliver sessions with a focus on cross-disciplinary collaboration and trans-paradigm perspective,’ says Goninan of the cross-pollinating minds component.
‘We’re asking economists to sit down with permaculturalists, solar technicians and architects with biodiversity academics and birth-workers, all in a fresh exploration of pattern and system-level thinking.’
To ‘keep it grounded and real’, Goninan says specific organisations have been asked to ‘host’ each session.
‘Their role is not to steer the conversation, or even necessarily share their opinion, but to give the discussion context and to provide a real-world lab in which to test our ideas.’
The hosts of the sessions, who have a direct local focus, are Byron Shire Council (the tools of new democracy), Mullum Music Festival (consciously created culture), The Byron Shire Echo (fake news, Trump and the death of big media), Bruns Eco Village (The DNA of resilient communities), Santos Organics (a food sovereignty roadmap), and COREM (disrupting monopolies and market power).
‘Key sessions will give us the opportunity to get a download from the experts, but then break into smaller workgroups, to jam with those experts on actual solutions.’
The national session hosts and full program details are coming soon.
Buy your tickets before Easter Sunday and go in the draw to win a one-year subscription to Dumbo Feather.
For tickets and more info go to www.renewfest.org.au.
Organisers say 100 per cent of festival profits go to COREM for their community-owned renewable-energy projects in the Byron Shire.
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