Gardens to be eco friendly for Womad

By Felicity Rookes,Taranaki Daily News, Monday, 06 October 2008

Kunming Gardens will be transformed into an eco wonderland for Womad next year. The new Sustainable Village will take over Brooklands Park's Chinese garden during the March festival as extension of its Zero Waste Project. The area will house stalls focusing on environmentally sustainable products and services.

Taranaki Arts Festival Trust CEO Suzanne Porter says a lot of businesses would like to be a part of the village. "There was a lot of interest in the Zero Waste Project so we decided this year to move it forward," Ms Porter says.

One stall will be selling environmentally friendly coffins made with bamboo from Thailand and beads made with recycled paper by women in African villages. "The coffins are amazing and are like works of art," Ms Porter says. There will be displays featuring the women on their journey to develop these sustainable businesses in their village.

"We also imagine stalls featuring worm farms, solar power and organic products like creams and medicines filling the village," Taft global village manager Donna Hutton says. Another new feature, which will be part of the village, are the Chill Out Lounges.
"It will be like an actual lounge with couches and bean bags. It will be a place people can go and relax - just grab a glass of wine and and escape the bustle of Womad for a bit." Some features will still remain at the Kunming Gardens, such as Taste of the World and the charity stalls.

Taft came runner-up for Best Environmentally Sustainable Event at the 2008 New Zealand Association of Event Professionals Industry Awards for the Zero Waste Project at Womad 2008.