Taking a trip - to the Organic Expo 2009

2 years have passed since I attended the ever-growing Organic Expo in Melbourne, and I am looking forward to a preview of the innovations to be released this year! In 2007 I spent 2 full days wandering around the stalls, speaking with business owners and hearing their stories - I heard of their passion for family, community and for leaving the world a better place. I was truly inspired to find so many amazing people under the one roof.

Peter Syd, the founder of Organature worked for a big company in manchester production all of his life until he fell seriously ill due to prolonged exposure to the chemicals used to make sheets. Having formed his own company and created a production line that he ensures is 100% as organic, pure and Australian made as possible, this gentleman is on the road to better health, and generating a cleaner future for others.

The winners of the 2007 'Best New Organic Product' Award are based on the northern beaches of Sydney. A group of friends (Liesa Dailly, Kristy Carr and Anthony Gualdi, pictured) teamed together to create a company selling certified organic pre made baby food that can be delivered to your doorstep.

Nibbling on tasty snacks and chocolate, dipping gourmet breads in divine organic olive oils, nourishing my hands with homemade organic moisturisers and body butters, I came away with a goodies back brimming and a tummy content.

From recycled pencils to toilet paper, it was a great opportunity to escape the drizzle outside and sample some fine wines. Meandering through the elegant heritage Exhibition Centre in Carlton, I saw many ways that we could leap forward as a nation, led by conscious consumers and producers.

A speakers corner featured, among others, one of the original 'Guerilla Gardners' sharing his challenges and successes in his local community of his radical gardening techniques.

I loved being able to talk with representatives of the Organic certifying bodies to better understand organic certification, which previously, had seemed like an intimidating bunch of symbols I could not relate to. The expo provided me the opportunity to empower myself, in an era of greenwash, to better identify products that are genuinely organic and others that have simply created a 'natural' looking logo to appear to be green. Here is a good article for those looking to clarfy certification and labels for themselves:

http://www.organicguide.com/australia/organic-certification-and-labelling-in-australia

It left me baffled as I wandered, how did we move away from this sense of community and healthy living in the first place? How did chemicals on our fruit and veg become the normal way of life? What is wrong with us? My questions unanswered, I was buoyed by the positivity of the people around me.

With a predicted minimum of 150 stalls this year, it makes the entry fee a bargain. For people that spend their time searching the internet or traipsing from store to store for 'eco' products to enhance their lifestyle with less impact on the earth than conventional products, they can relax, as someone else has done the hard work. Even if you have never even bought a thing 'organic' in your life, if you're in Melbourne on the 25th or 26th of July this year, head on over to the Organic Expo. It might just expand your world and tantalise your tastebuds at the same time.

Feel free to share your experience of last year's Organic Expo in Sydney below, or any other upcoming events you think are interesting.