By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
The ‘Halloween on the Green’ at Ferny Creek Reserve is back for its fifth year to give everyone ghoulish good times.
Halloween on the Green is an annual fundraising event held on Mount Dandenong, organised by The Philanthropic Collective.
The event is not merely a spooktacular celebration but also plans to be “kind” to the planet – for the second time, the event has partnered with B-Alternatives, an environmental social enterprise to promote sustainable practices by reducing waste, encouraging recycling, and offering eco-friendly alternatives throughout the festivities.
The Philanthropic Collective is a not-for-profit charitable organisation dedicated to supporting children and families facing adversity – it offers material assistance to students, family members, seniors, and schools on an individual basis.
B-Alternatives people person Breanna Mann said using sustainable products at festivals is crucial for minimising environmental impact, conserving resources, and ensuring celebrations don’t come at the expense of future generations.
“We will be implementing zero waste event initiatives, by bringing our reusable plates, bowls and cups to be able to circulate them throughout the event, eliminating single use food packaging – we’ll also be doing streamed resource recovery to ensure we can recycle and compost as much waste as possible before sending whatever’s left to landfill,” Ms Mann said.
“We’re really about changing the way we relate to the planet and taking responsibility for our waste, events in particular have quite a large footprint, when so many people congregate in one space, but we’re there to come up with different ways to reduce our impact.”
At the festival, bamboo and PLA composite products will be used instead of plastic plates and cups.
“We’ll be bringing rice husk plates on the day which is a by-product of the rice industry, and they can be composted at end of life as well,” Ms Mann said.
“But we’ve had these plates for six-years, they circulate constantly, and we work at about 20 events a year.”
The event kicks off at 11am and runs until 5pm, with tickets starting at $8 per person – with $2 from every ticket sale going towards paying B-Alternative.
This year’s event features a range of activities, including a best dressed competition and live and roving entertainment.
Attendees can also enjoy tarot readings, browse various stalls, and sample food from a variety of vendors. Halloween on the Green aims to provide a fun and relaxing experience for everyone involved.
B-Alternatives events project manager Joshua Davies emphasised his goal to inspire attendees to be more mindful and intentional about their consumption habits.
“We believe the future is reusable, and by recirculating things, instead of throwing them away, we can keep them for the future,” Mr Davies said.
“In events like this, we see a lot of mixed reactions and interactions – predominantly, we’re having very positive conversations because a lot of people see what we’re doing and feel inspired.”
Strategic development and event director Andrew Fillip-Gautier said based on their 2022 event providing plastic-free festival is possible –creating inherent positives for the environment and for the community.
“We encourage everyone attending to bring their own water bottles to take advantage of our free hydration stations, bring a picnic blanket and enjoy a day on the green,” he said.
“We are extremely grateful to ferny creek tennis club for opening their space to us and social enterprise B-Alternative.”
Mr Fillip-Gautier said parking on the day will have its challenges, with no parking in Hilton Road and parking at the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society remains strictly for flower show patrons.
“Please allow for plenty of time to find your way safely to the reserve,” he said.
Parking alternatives are listed on their website at, www.halloweenonthegreen.com.au
Mr Fillip-Gautier said they are always looking for volunteers, if you are interested, contact them here, newbloodrecruits@philanthropic.org.au.
