After three consecutive years of successful and innovative  programs, festival goers have come to expect LeaF workshops to cover a rich and exciting array of eco-learning topics, facilitated by passionate local presenters, and this year will be no different.

The LeaF program, run in partnership with  the Bellingen Shire Learning Alliance (BSLA) and the newly established Coffs Coast Regional Science Hub (CCRSH), showcases skills and knowledge from nine different organisations will be on from Friday to Sunday of the festival, proudly sponsored by Bellingen Solar Depot.

Staple favourites including Primitive Fire Making, Edible and Medicinal Weeds Workshop and Winter Yoga and Meditation classes will all return to the 2018 program alongside a number of interesting new presentations, including Make your own Plastic Free Personal Products by Waste Not Bellingen and the Centre for Ecological Learning; Towards a Zero-Emissions Bellingen Shire by Bellingen Shire Electricity Alliance; and Bugs of Bellingen by Cascade Environmental Education Centre.

Bello LeaF events are free for festival ticket holders and are available to non-ticket holders by donation on the day. Registration is recommended for popular Bello LeaF events. Visit the BSLA/CCRSH Tent in the Festival Marketplace (Maam Gaduying Park) over the festival weekend to learn more about LeaF events and affiliate groups.

For more information or to see the full LeaF program visit www.bellowintermusic.com

Friday

WORKSHOP: Primitive Fire Making. 3:00-4.30pm, meet @north side of Lavenders Bridge. Did you forget the matches? This is your chance to learn to make fire from nature’s bounty.  Bush Skills experts Andrew Turbill, Tyler Parkes , and Holly Mae will guide you in the spirit of matchless fire making. $10 fee for materials (limited numbers of fire kits available). Brought to you by Centre for Ecological Learning. REGISTRATION ESSENTIAL at cel.org.au. This workshop has booked out in past years so get in early!

WORKSHOP: Bugs of Bellingen. 3:00-4.30pm, meet @the Stables. What do you reckon about those little critters that live under the leaves and even in the water? Could you survive without them? Should you look after them? Spend a while with knowledgeable environmental educators exploring for Bugs of Bellingen. We will bring some equipment to help you explore the local environment to learn about these interesting and essential creatures.  Brought to you by Cascade Environmental Education Centre.

Saturday

WORKSHOP: Winter Yoga. 8:00-9:00am @St. Margaret’s Hall. Focusing on strengthening and stretching your spine from your lumbar to your neck, experience how different your body can feel when your spine is given the right kind of attention. Ki Yoga focuses on the seasons and the energy meridians of your body. It includes partner work and a short massage at the end. Emma Hohnen has been teaching Ki Yoga for almost 15 years and at the last 3 festivals. Bring a mat or a towel if you can. Brought to you by Centre for Ecological Learning.

WORKSHOP:  Morning Meditation. 9:15-10:00am @St. Margaret’s Hall.  Insight Meditation teacher Will James will lead a group meditation on the theme of “This Precious Life”. This is an opportunity to come together to sit for inner and outer peace and for healing the earth in a powerful demonstration of our gratitude, love and connection to each other and to the planet we share. Beginners welcome. Bring a cushion if you can. Brought to you by Tallowwood Sangha. More info at tallowwoodsangha.org.au.

WALK: Edible and Medicinal Weeds Workshop. 9:30-10:30am, meet @Maam Gaduying.  Join us for an exploration into the world of weeds. Often disliked and overlooked, these plants are a treasure trove of food and medicines. Damian Harrison from Chamomile Naturopathy will help you identify useful local weeds and their culinary and medicinal possibilities. We will engage the senses as we touch, taste, and smell plants and products that will help you use this knowledge in your daily life.  Brought to you by Centre for Ecological Learning.

WORKSHOP: Running a “Buy Local” campaign – you can too! 10:30-11:30am @the Showgrounds Hall. “Bello’s Big Deal’, was a ‘buy local’ campaign recently run by the Bellingen Chamber of Commerce. This interactive workshop will provide ideas about what to do and what not to do when running a campaign to bring business home to your community. Hilary Cadman will give a short presentation on the campaign and the lessons learned, followed by group activities to help you plan your own ‘buy local’ campaign. Brought to you by the Bellingen Chamber of Commerce.

WORKSHOP: The Great Koala Park Project.  10:30-11:30am @the Stables. Koalas are the world’s favourite animal, and Bellingen can lay claim to being the koala capital of NSW! But the outlook is not all rosy for the species. Join Oisin Sweeney, Senior Ecologist from the National Parks Association NSW, to learn more about koalas and what you can do to help in your local area, and to hear about the Great Koala National Park proposal: what is it and why do we need it? Brought to you by the Coffs Coast Regional Science Hub/Centre for Ecological Learning.

PERFORMANCE: Playback Theatre - Loving and Living on Planet Earth. 12:00-1:30 pm @the Showgrounds Hall. How we connect with the natural world is of deep significance to many of us - yet how often do you get to share this part of yourself with others?  Come share the story of your relationship, your love or even your disconnection to this planet we call home. Through an improvised and spontaneous performance by the Playback actors, your stories will be seen again in a new form. Please note the session will be closed at 12:10 to create an intimate environment in respect of the stories shared. Brought to you by Bellingen Playback Theatre Inc.

WORKSHOP: Towards a Zero-Emissions Bellingen Shire 12:00-1:00 pm @St Margaret’s Hall. Come learn how a volunteer local group is promoting local ownership of Bellingen Shire’s electricity supply and demand. We believe that renewable energy is an essential element in the sustainability of our lifestyle and our environment. Bellingen Shire Electricity Alliance is a community-based, volunteer, not-for-profit Association that have some serious runs on the board – including a recent community owned solar initiative. Come hear our story! Brought to you by Bellingen Shire Electricity Alliance (BSEA).  

Sunday

WORKSHOP: Winter Yoga. 8:00-9:00am @Cedar Bar. Focusing on strengthening and stretching your spine from your lumbar to your neck, experience how different your body can feel when your spine is given the right kind of attention. Ki Yoga focuses on the seasons and the energy meridians of your body. It includes partner work and a short massage at the end. Emma Hohnen has been teaching Ki Yoga for almost 15 years and at the last 3 festivals. Bring a mat or a towel if you can. Brought to you by Centre for Ecological Learning.

WORKSHOP: Getting Hands on - Citizen Science and Turtles. 9:00-10:00am, meet @north side of Lavenders Bridge.  Come and see citizen science in action and find out what we need to do to look after our river. Sue Lennox will share the results of the Bellingen Riverwatch program, which involved Bellingen schools and the Bellingen Community in monitoring river health on a monthly basis. Hear about the partnership between OzGREEN and the NSW Govt Saving Our Species program, in collaboration with Bellingen Shire Council and multiple partners who were involved in the Turtle rescue.  Brought to you by OzGREEN.

FORUM:  Elemental Nature: Spirit – Listen to the Land. 9:30-11:00am @Cedar Bar. How did our river form? How did the plateau get so high? Where did the valleys come from? Why did it all happen that way, and where do humans fit into the picture? Join Gumbaynggirr language teacher Michael Jarrett, Eco-priest Jason John, and Buddhist teacher Will James, in discussion with local geologist Mark Graham to explore how geology, spirituality, and language flow together to create knowledge and culture. Brought to you by the Coffs Coast Regional Science Hub/Centre for Ecological Learning.  More info at cel.org.au.

WORKSHOP: Make your own Plastic Free Personal Products. 10:00-11:00am @The Stables. Commercial personal products promise us eternal youth. But what are the real costs of these beauty elixirs and their ingredients - often a cocktail of chemicals, packaged in plastic, which can be harmful to ourselves, our children and the planet. Donna Sowman and Alison Heeley will teach you how to easily create your own plastic-free personal products, such as toothpaste, deodorant and lip balm, using natural, simple ingredients at a fraction of the price! Brought to you by Waste Not Bellingen/ Centre for Ecological Learning.

WORKSHOP: Empower yourself to be Plastic Neutral. 11:00-12:00am @The Stables. Local eco-warrior Louise Hardman from the Plastic Collective is dedicated to reducing plastic waste in our oceans. She has developed the Shruder - a mobile machine that recycles single use plastics into valuable items. Come hear the story of her work around the world, and learn 25 things you can do at home which can save the world from plastic pollution. Louise recently met with the Prince of Wales who thought her work was amazing, and so will you! Brought to you by Waste Not Bellingen/Centre for Ecological Learning.