Congratulations to BSFG and Food Coop members who set up and worked at the inviting information and produce stall at the Source event in the Benalla Gardens on Saturday 23rd February.  To Daz de Fazio, pictured here with Helen Duggin and Kevin Smith, we value your passion and energy in creating this event to celebrate the 10th birthday of Ed Space and the musicians and music you love and to give a presence to the food, wine and makers in our region.   Thank you for including organisations working towards a sustainable future when designing this promising inaugural event!

BSFG had a successful stall at the 'Day In The Gardens' Market on Sunday Nov 6, held around the cricket oval in Benalla’s  Botanical Gardens, located in Bridge Street, Benalla, beside Lake Benalla and adjacent to the Benalla Art Gallery.

The weather turned out be be quite pleasant and later in the morning some solar display toys slowly came to life once there was sufficient sun to generate the electricity they required.  The solar powered crickets danced around for the day while the sun was shining, no batteries to go flat!  Many children were fascinated by them and quickly saw the link between the crickets' activity and the power from the sun.

The Benalla Food Co-operative also received interest from many people attracted by the products on display. 

There was also interest in general information available on energy and water efficiency around the home, and particular interest in the Benalla Renewable Energy Project with many people signing up to be informed of future developments.

Members attending the stall will be able to generate ideas for future stalls to inform the community of BSFG activities and steps they can take to protect and enhance the natural and built environment, promoting sustainable living practices and development within the Benalla region.

As many of you would be aware BSFG has had a stall at the Day in the Gardens market for a number of years. This year the date is Sunday 8th November and we are looking for volunteers to help us staff the stall.

This is not a difficult task as there will be a range of materials available for people to take away and any questions are usually of a general nature.  People on the stall are not expected to be experts on climate change or sustainability.  The main task is to make people feel welcome as they come to the stall and encourage them to take any of the available material they are interested in.  We often have interesting conversations with people who come to look at the stall. 

There are still some spots available between 10 am and 2 pm.  If you are able to volunteer one hour (or more) of your time please let John Lloyd know the time slot you would prefer by 2nd November. We prefer to have two people on the stall together for company.

If you are visiting the Day in the Gardens, please drop by the BSFG and say hello.

A free community event is being held in Albury/Wodonga for Sustainable Living Week this Saturday morning (7th) from 9 am to midday.  The program includes local food cooking demonstrations; making mud bee inns or tree bee inns; 'speed dating' a sustainable designer for 15 minutes consultation(need to book in on the day); workshops on seed saving, cloth nappies, home composting and preserving. Luke Davies' Recycled String Band will be performing from 10 am to midday--a great incentive to attend!