Australia’s largest sustainable living celebration is back with a jam-packed program with more than 300 events over two weeks across Victoria. This year’s diverse program includes delightfully different perspectives bound to challenge, engage and inspire action. As a guide to this ocean of events, we hope this blog post will help you navigate the program better.

Big Weekend

At the heart of the Festival, the Big Weekend program at Federation Square on 15 -17 Feb includes high quality food for thought in The Great Debate, influential thought leaders, such as Annie Leonard behind the widespread online animation The Story of Stuff, and a laughter guarantee at the Steaming Toad Variety Show with HG Nelson and Dan Ilic. By buying a ticket to these key Festival events, curated by the Festival’s operations team itself, you’re supporting the future of this non-profit Festival.

Other event highlights of this year’s Big Weekend program we are really excited about bringing to you include Jason Roberts’ Better Block Keynote, The World’s Biggest Organic Feast hosted by ABC TV’s Costa Georgiadis, the Fix it! Workshop. While forums, talks and interactives like The Heat is On, Activating Community Energy, Playing God with the Planet, Green Inventors, The Gratitude Box and No Place like Homelands are sure to inspire and educate.

Over the Big Weekend, Birrarung Marr and River Promenade are transformed into a bustling mini-village, complete with The Green Market and Bikefest Treadlie Market. In the weekend’s open community program stream, there’s a multitude of exhibitions, forums, kids activities, performances and workshops to discover.

Melbourne CBD

The second layer of the Festival takes place across Melbourne’s CBD, as the city comes to life with events throughout 9 - 24 Feb. This year, the Sustainable Living Festival, together with City of Melbourne and CrowdSpot, are launching My EcoCity Map, a collaborative online map for residents and visitors to capture and share sustainable projects, events, shops and organisations in the city. Check out the map here and add you own favourite EcoCity spots!

As part of the Festival's film program, the Transition Film Festival kicks off on 15 Feb and runs til 24 Feb with solutions focused movies at several cinemas across town. Sign up here to be part of the nationwide synchronised screening of Transition 2.0, a movie that tells an inspiring story of Transition Towns initiatives from around the world.

Statewide

In the second week of the statewide Festival program, the Festival’s first ever regional Victorian tour program – The Better Block Tour – heads out to regional locations (18 – 24 Feb) to help kickstart a revitalization of neighborhoods and communities across Victoria by inspiring, connecting and supporting local changemakers.

Across the State of Victoria, there are a huge range of events taking place, feeding conversations and generating new ideas on how you can find and create your own ‘state of sustainability’!

Posted by Festival Team 2013