Coming Soon - The Freeconomy Feastival 28th November

The Freeconomy Feastival

28th November

Hamilton House (2nd Floor), 80 Stokes Croft, Bristol on 28th Nov, Buy Nothing Day.

The entire day is FREE for EVERYONE and begins at 11am.

Mark Boyle, the founder of the freeconomy community has rallied forces in and around Bristol to bring you all the Freeconomy Feastival this weekend on the 28th of November, at Hamilton House.

The Feastival offers twelve hours of talks, workshops, bookswaps, clotheswaps, dance and music all for the princely sum of ZERO English pounds, all in aid of celebrating Buy Nothing Day a fantastic global holiday from consumerism, that has been running for ten years.

In the current economic climate, the concept of spending less and reducing our involvement as consumers is becoming more and more appealing. And there are a plethora of ways of doing so:

1. Freecycle - an international network and grassroots movement that sees community members offer and receive items that are no longer desired. I have personally gained 3 double beds, a television and a bookshelf and have given away mobile phones, a bike and darkroom developing equipment. My gran even gave away her grand piano on Freecycle!

2. Freeconomy - a gorgeous community website that has the aim help reconnect people in their local communities through the simple act of sharing. A wonderful feature of the site is that you are only allowed to message members a maximum of three times a month to encourage meeting and skill sharing. I have gained ukulele tuition and returned the favour with fixing a sewing machine, and gained many like-minded friends and skipping buddies through it.

3. Which leads me neatly to freeganism - dumpster diving, skipping, call it what you will, this simple act of rifling through supermarket bins can provide you with a meal every day of the week. You learn to be imaginative with your menus, and as stealthy as a panther. Two great charities - FareShare and Foodworks are also making the most of the ludicrous levels of food waste in the UK.

4. Ask yourself these simple questions before buying anything:

- Do I need it?
- How many do I already have?
- How much will I use it?
- How long will it last?
- Could I borrow it from a friend or family member?
- Am I able to clean and/or maintain it myself?
- Will I be able to repair it?
- Am I willing to?
- Have I researched it to get the best quality for the best price?
- How will I dispose of it when I'm done using it?
- Are the resources that went into it renewable or nonrenewable?
- Is it made from recycled materials, and is it recyclable?

5. Get an allotment. Simple.

I think ultimately, the thing that I appreciate the most about all of these ways of reducing one's impact is that it has sharply come to focus that community is key. I think it is fantastic that collectives like Coexist in Hamilton House are thriving, without any support from the Council, growing organically and responding to the needs of the community.

So if you happen to be in Bristol on Saturday, come to the Freeconomy Feastival and immerse yourself in the thriving creative community, dance, sing, listen, and SPEND NOTHING!

The Food for Free Feast:
We aim to cook a delicious three course meal for 300+ people on the day, and there will be free drinks / snacks / bike smoothies constantly throughout the day. It will be on a first come / first serve basis. Even if you can't come in the evening, or are too late to get the feast, you can still come to any of the following throughout the day:

Talks (from 11am onwards):
- Mark Boyle (founder of Freeconomy) - 'My year without Money'
- Fergus Drennan (The BBC's world famous forager) - 'How to make use of Wild Food'
- Claire Milne (Transition Towns UK food policy advisor) - 'Nutritious food - an opportunity for profit or a basic human right?'
- Ciaran Mundy (Transition Bristol's alternative economics advisor) - 'Evil Roots'
- Alf Montagu (Famous Freegan!) - 'Freegan Living'
- Sarah Cameron (Environmental Consultant) - 'Happy Earth Living'
- Megan Orpwood-Russell (Environmental campaigner) - 'Climate Chaos - Campaigning for Change'
- Caraline Collett - 'No money, more love'

Music and performance (from 4pm onwards - run off a pedal-powered sound system!)
- The Undercover Hippy
- Tom Bellamy
- Denise Rowe (from Baka Beyond) with Alex Michelsen and others
- Eirlys
- Siddy Bennett
- The Green People

Cinema (from 11am onwards)
- Money as Debt
- Earthlings
- The Transition Movie
- Age of Stupid
- The History of Oil (stand-up comedy)
- The Story of Stuff
- Wake up Freak Out
- Local film-makers

Holistic Therapies (from 11am onwards)
- Acupuncture
- Massage
- Energy Healing

Bookswap
Bring the books you don't read anymore (not just the naff ones!) and swap them for ones you've never read!

Clothes Swap
Bored of your old clothes? Then bring them along and swap them for clothes you fancy! Or if they need mending, take them along to the 'Junk to Funk' clothes mending workshop in our 'Creative Corner'

Freeshop
Bring along useful things you don't need anymore, or just take stuff that you could use. You can even steal stuff, we couldn't care less!

WE DON'T ACCEPT BARCLAYCARD, VISA OR EVEN CASH!

If you want to join the Freeconomy, you can join at www.justfortheloveofit.org
If you have any questions - or even get involved - feel free to email mark@justfortheloveofit.org or on 0775 886 1783

Kids are more than welcome!

So come along from 11am onwards and enjoy a day where you can eat, drink, learn and be entertained completely for FREE!