We will host a variety of workshops and talks during the festival. Please note, that all workshops and talks take place in the upper floor (Room 2 and Room 3) of the venue and are only accessible through stairs.
| Time | Room 2 | Room 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 – 11 | The Change Machine - Drama for kids | Satisfying Breakfast |
| 11 – 12 | Foraged feasts | Balance Hatha Yoga |
| 12 – 1 | Living lightly - Craft for kids | You can can! |
| 1 – 2 | Cleaning for keeps | Do stuff, don’t buy stuff! |
| 2 – 3 | Buy to last | Pickles & Ferments |
| 3 – 4 | The Endy Bit - Eat everything | Simplifying the science of laundry |
Room 2
10:00 – 11:00
The Change Machine - Drama for kids
At 10am in Room 2, we will have a fun and engaging Practical Drama Workshop for children. It aims to engage participants on the topic of Zero Waste and the current challenges that face our society, while focusing on changes we can all make in our daily lives. It takes this daunting subject and brings it into a tangible more accessible context that gives the children empowerment and passion to instigate change, using drama devices to create a relaxed and interactive learning environment that promotes self-development, creativity and peer learning. Suitable for kids 8-14 years.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Diane O’Connor is a qualified drama facilitator, with extensive and diverse experience; Drama in Education, Special Ed, Youth Theatre, Adult Education and Community Drama. She received a higher diploma for Drama and Theatre Studies from UCD. She is also a comedian with training in Improvisation both long and short form. She performs regularly around Ireland and also produces shows. Diane is very excited about this workshop which brings her passion for the environment together with her love Drama.
11:00 – 12:00
Foraged feasts
At 11am in Room 2, Mies and Molly from Wildflower Walks Ireland will be talking about foraging. The internet tells us that summer is all about sunshine, barbecues, and fresh salads. Now we all know that plastic is not so fantastic, and perhaps your green fingers are more thumbs of death. So how to get your leaves zero waste? The good news is that Ireland has 40 shades of green and at least some of them are edible. Come along to this workshop to sample some examples, and learn how to make the most of your nature walks. Foraging can stretch out your shopping budget and your legs in the fresh air. (Sunshine cannot be guaranteed.) If salads are not your thing we will also be looking at desserts, drinks and other substantial delights complete with tasters.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Wildflower walks Ireland is a two person team made up of long time friends Mies Stam and Molly Aylesbury. Mies is a third generation horticulturist who has been helping out on her parents nurseries both here and in the Netherlands since she could walk. It is no surprise that she studied horticulture and then later a BSc. in Botany in UCD. It was there that Mies and Molly met. Molly, a lifelong tree-hugger, got her BSc. in Environmental Biology before leaving to study her masters in Sustainable Development in Sweden. Together they run Wildflower Walks Ireland, and are dedicated to showing people a little of the wild that is around them, our native biodiversity and what everyone can do to be more sustainable. They hold regular wildflower identification walks, foraging and green living workshops. You can find the details of their events on their meetup page.
12:00 – 1:00
Living lightly - Craft for kids
At 12pm in Room 2, Elaine will give a crafts workshop for kids. Start the kids on their zero waste journey with some low-waste crafts made with compostable and reusable materials. We’ll be making paper masks and paper air planes, building compostable structures, and learning to write secret spy messages. There’s also a Duplo Lego pile for any kiddies that prefer free play! This workshop is suitable for kids aged 3+ years as long as the parents are present.
Elaine is a designer who writes a blog on sustainable living called Living Lightly in Ireland.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
1:00 – 2:00
Cleaning for keeps
More infos on this workshop/talks coming soon.
At 1pm in Room 2, Molly will be talking about keeping up appliances (and other items) to make sure they have a long lifespan. When Molly was a kid she imagined life would be super exciting as an adult. She did not foresee the endless life of washing that was ahead! How we wash things has consequences too! What are the stakes you ask? Well how you take care of your stuff directly affects its lifespan. If you have a minimalist wardrobe, knowing good garment care is a must so that your only pair of jeans look amazing! Is your dishwasher broken or have you just not cleaned it? Likewise for your washing machine! Avoid buying new stuff and extend the life of your current stuff by learning how to take care of the things we never think of like jewelry, our mattresses, the couch. Come along to learn more or to share more adulting tips. Even Molly may need to take notes!
Molly is a lifelong tree-hugger who is constantly experimenting with growing-her-own, making-her-own and general doing-it-herself. She has been on her zero waste journey a while now, and while not perfect, with a happy sourdough, zero waste beauty regime, and the best popcorn recipe ever, she is happy with her progress! She is one half of the Zero Waste business Bare Necessities Ireland and Wildflower Walks Ireland and manages the blog Confessions of a part time hippy where she is happy to chat about zero waste cleaning, cooking, beauty or broader environmental issues.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
2:00 – 3:00
Buy to last
A light bulb that lasts a hundred years? Ear phones you probably loose before they break? A decade’s supply of shaving soap?
There are many (durable and long-lasting) alternatives to the quick and cheap buys we encounter most of the time. In this talk, we will discuss some strategies to spot planned obsolescence, assess repairability, and fight fast fashion by looking at examples from everyday household items, to home electronics, white goods, and clothes. In the long run, buying to last will save money, stress, and the planet. If you want to learn more, come and join us for this talk in Room 2 at 2pm.
The talk is hosted by Jan. He is an environmental scientist with an undeniable passion for nature, sustainability, and quirky facts. E.g., did you know that reports indicate we consume twice as many material goods today as we did 50 years ago and that the average 10-year-old in Britain owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 of them daily? You can find more about Jan’s work on sustainable sanitation on Twitter and his blog.
3:00 – 4:00
The Endy Bit - Eat everything
At 3pm in Room 2 Anne from The Endy Bit will guide you through a process of avoiding food waste, sharing stories, ideas and food with you. What is your top food waste issue? Share at the talk and maybe find some answers.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Anne Hession is a working mother/project management nerd who likes cooking and avoiding food waste. She posts about her attempts to eat everything on Twitter and Facebook.
Room 3
10:00 – 11:00
Satisfying Breakfast
At 10am in Room 3, Laetitia will show you how to skip the mid-morning sugar crash. Wake up to a healthy morning meal and start your day feeling full and energized with the help of a fresh breakfast bowl.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Laetitia moved to Ireland from her native France almost 2 years ago. Her heart wasn’t in her original career in HR and asset management, so she retrained and started her own catering business. In Dublin she volunteered with the Dublin Food Coop launching their package free section, has organised buyers clubs, beach and street clean ups and demonstrations around the city and supports the work of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as well as being actively involved with the Zero Waste Festival. She believes we are the change we want to see in this world. And knows from experience what starts as a challenge can become a habit, and we can minimize our impact on the environment. Because its worth it!
11:00 – 12:00
Balance Hatha Yoga
At 11am in Room 3, there will be Balance Hatha Yoga. Yoga and the yogic way of life is the perfect antidote to today’s fast-paced life. In this balanced Hatha Yoga class, take a pause from your hectic life, become aware of your physical postures and connect with your breath. Please wear comfy clothes and bring a yoga mat if you can.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Sharmistha became a dedicated yoga practitioner after a back injury in 2003. Her passion towards yoga kept growing and finally after a corporate stint of 8 years she answered her calling to pursue yoga full time. She went on to become a certified yoga teacher in 2017 and started teaching Yoga in India. She primarily practices and teaches Hatha yoga, and believes that the overall yogic way of life helps us to preserve our overall health and brings balance to the mind-body-soul. You can follow her on Instagram.
12:00 – 1:00
You can can!
At 12 noon in Room 3, Timi will be giving you an introduction to preserving food by canning. Timi is passionate about sustainable living: Astonished by the amount of disposable nappies they had to throw away every day when their son entered their lives, her family began their zero waste journey. Soon after transitioning to cloth nappies, they got rid of all disposable products in their house, and 9 months down the line, were able to completely unsubscribe from bin services. Since then, Timi has been featured in major publications such as the Irish Examiner and Greennews.ie, in addition to appearing on Eco Eye, Ireland’s longest running environmental programme. She has given several talks on eco-friendly habits and Zero Waste Living at different forums from the Earth Baby Fair to LinkedIn’s headquarters in Dublin, including several at Zero Waste Festivals. You can follow her on her blog www.simplenowastelife.com of Instagram.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
1:00 – 2:00
Do stuff, don’t buy stuff!
At 1pm in Room 3, Íde will be talking about choosing experience over buying items. We are often caught in the trap of wanting and feeling we need more possessions. Choosing experiences instead, not only is better for keeping those purchase away from their inevitable destination in the bin, but also give us a more lasting feeling of happiness.
Íde stopped buying CDs when they started to cost more than Ryanair flights, and although in the intervening years she has tried to be more conscious of her carbon footprint, she has travelled far and enjoyed some great adventures closer to home.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
2:00 – 3:00
Pickles & Ferments
At 2pm in Room 3, Zdenka from Coming to Zero will be talking about pickles and ferments. In the quest to prevent food waste, forgotten skills like fermenting and pickling come in very handy. Make a delicious and super-healthy sauerkraut before that cabbage goes bad, get past the misconception that pickles are weird and inedible sour foods of post-war Eastern Europe and learn how to save money and packaging waste by making your own vegetable condiments.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Zdenka is a food lover who likes to keep things simple. She shares her tips and tricks for living a more sustainable life on her blog: Coming to Zero. In her free time, you’ll find her in the garden trying to coax vegetables out of the ground by any wizardry possible. She has also occasionally been sighted indoors, but is likely to cut a distorted figure behind all those glass jars full of kitchen experiments. You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
3:00 – 4:00
Simplifying the science of laundry
At 3pm in Room 3, Titta Jones from Lilly’s Eco Clean will be talking about simplifying the science of Laundry, how to make clothes last longer. She is passionate about the nowledge over fear approach. This time we will look at the science of laundry vs. the different type of textiles and how you can treat your favorite clothes better to make them last longer.
Find the workshop/talk on Facebook.
Titta Jones is the co-founder, main owner and MD of Lilly’s Eco Clean, a manufacturer of natural cleaning products made here in Ireland. Both in her business and her own life she aims to live towards Zero Waste and likes the concept of minimalism. Her hobbies include learning about and trying gardening, foraging, cooking, knitting and crochet. She loves hikes, road trips and work combined with travel. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.