Speakers
Join us on Saturday 12th September at Fed Square, Melbourne for our annual Zero Waste Festival.
Speakers
Our stage features a lineup of special guests, leading sustainability innovators and community champions for a day of thought-provoking discussions, innovative ideas, and practical solutions to tackle waste head-on.
✨12:00 pm Costa’s Garden: Fruit
✨12:45 pm Rethinking Plastic: The Good, the Bad, and the Biodegradable
✨2:00 pm Everyday Sustainability: Progress Over Perfection
✨3:15 pm The Rise of Data Centres and the Hidden Footprint of AI
✨4:30 pm Frugal Foodies: Zero Waste Mystery Box Cook-off
✨6:00 pm ReWear Runway
*Times may be subject to change
12:00
PM
Costa's Garden: Fruit
Costa’s Garden: Fruit – Book Launch
Join Australia’s favourite garden gnome, Costa, to celebrate the Melbourne launch of his new book, Costa’s Garden: Fruit, with stories, laughter and plenty of gardening inspiration. Dress in your fruitiest outfits (adults and kids alike!) as Costa shares the awe and wonder of the natural world with young readers, budding gardeners and fruit lovers of all ages.
This special event will suit children, families and adults – anyone passionate about growing food, connecting with nature or simply listening to Costa’s infectious enthusiasm for gardening and zero waste.
For all ages. Zero waste. Maximum fun.
12:45
PM
Rethinking Plastic: The Good, the Bad, and the Biodegradable
Hear from:
Cip Hamilton is the Plastics Campaign Manager at the Australian Marine Conservation Society
Dr. Agnes Mukurumbira is a Lecturer in Food Science at Deakin University
Kirsty Bishop-Fox is a sustainability educator, advocate and trainer
Australia has a plastics problem, and we've been waiting too long to fix it.
Plastic pollution and single-use waste is one of the biggest challenges facing the planet. Plastics can leach into our environment, break down into microplastics, and find their way into our food, our water and our bodies, posing risks to both public health and the environment.
Environmental groups, recyclers and manufacturers all want a reform of packaging regulation. While the motives might be different, there’s clear agreement that regulation is the only way to reduce the amount of problematic packaging being produced. Yet the government is sitting on it.
This panel discussion will uncover the best and worst packaging in Australia and explore why not all plastics are created equal. Learn about the innovative development of biodegradable antimicrobial packaging to enhance food safety and sustainability, while discovering practical ways to reduce plastic waste in everyday life.
Regulation is needed, and as individuals, we can take action to reduce plastic waste.
2:00
PM
Everyday Sustainability: Progress Over Perfection
Hear from:
Aadityaa Gupta is a disability advocate, endurance athlete and a blind adventurer
Anna Matilda (aka The Urban Nanna), teacher of traditional skills, and methods of living
Joey Camilleri is a professional organiser and the founder of Creating Positive Spaces
Costa Georgiadis is host of Gardening Australia and a asustainabiltiy advocate
Diana is an advocate with more than 20 years’ experience of turning zero waste ideas into action.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed when trying to make sustainable choices.
Many zero waste conversations focus on recycling and disposal. While these are important, we can more effectively reduce waste by stopping unnecessary items from entering our homes or workplaces in the first place.
This panel discussion will unpack the challenges and opportunities around minimising waste, simplifying daily life and making sustainable living more achievable. We’ll take a fresh look at sustainable living without guilt or perfectionism while acknowledging real world constraints, including accessibility, neurodiversity, emotional purchasing, aspirational living and the cost of living. We’ll explore practical ways to reduce waste by making more intentional choices, whether we’re purchasing new, repairing and reusing what we have, or decluttering our homes.
Rather than examining what happens after we buy something, this session shifts the focus to the choices we make and how everyday decisions can lead to meaningful, lasting change.
Sustainable living is a practical and achievable approach, rather than all-or-nothing.
3:15
PM
The Rise of Data Centres and the Hidden Footprint of AI
Hear from:
Professor Jeannie Paterson is a Professor of Law and co-founding Director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics
Bronwen Clark is the CEO of National Growth Areas Alliance
Jathan Sadowski is an Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow in the Department of Human-Centred Computing at Monash University
Modern life – from the internet, email and online banking to healthcare and the rapid rise of AI – increasingly depends on data centres.
Australia is the focus for more data centre hubs, with more than 200 already spread across the country and billions of dollars in potential investment planned for new facilities. Yet these centres have a reputation for being energy- and water-intensive, while the technology they house can become obsolete within a few years of commissioning, contributing to growing volumes of e-waste. There is growing backlash from communities concerned about the expansion of data centre construction, and rightly so.
But are we also being distracted from other significant issues, such as the ethical use of AI and how our data is being used? From deepfakes, scams and misinformation to bias, transparency and accountability, this panel will explore the ethical and regulatory challenges of AI and data centres, alongside the environmental footprint.
An insightful discussion on the social and environmental footprint of data centres.
4:30
PM
Frugal Foodies : Zero Waste Mystery Box Cook-off
Hear from:
Lillie Giang is a chef, educator, television presenter, and sustainability advocate.
Josh Ball is a co-founder of Farmers Pick, a farm-to-table grocery subscription service.
Marilyn Lambert is Secretary of Outer East Foodshare (OEF).
For the first time at the Zero Waste Festival, we are partnering with SEC Victoria to present the Frugal Foodie Cook-off!
Two teams will take on the mystery box challenge and cook up delicious meals using the types of ingredients that you might find in the back of your fridge or the bottom of your pantry. Teams will prepare a dish with items from their mystery box, sourced from rescued foods, and the audience will vote for their favourite team.
But the real winners will be you, the audience! You’ll pick up practical tips and tricks to make the most of the food you already have, reduce food waste, learn about the benefits of induction cooking and stretch your budget. You’ll also hear inspiring stories from people who rescue perfectly good food from being wasted and turn it into meals to support community members in need.
This event will also showcase induction cooktops, making cooking faster, safer and more energy efficient.
6:00
to
7:30
PM
Fashion has the power to tell a story, and every garment has the potential for a second life
Upcycled fashion will take to the stage on the ReWear Runway, showcasing reclaimed materials creatively remade into wearable, fashionable garments.
The inaugural ReWear Runway will showcase practical and inspiring alternatives to wasteful fashion consumption, demonstrating how fashion can be both environmentally conscious and stylish.
The finalists will showcase their garments to be judged by our expert panel on sustainability, craftsmanship, wearability and creativity. As the garments are modeled on the runway, we will be entertained by the sustainability stories behind the creation.
This is not your typical fashion show, and this will be your only opportunity to say that you were at the first-ever ReWear Runway by Zero Waste Victoria. The audience will have an opportunity to vote on their favourite garments and go into the draw to win prizes for voting.
ReWear Runway Announcers:
Petrova Hammond is a fashion designer, educator and sustainability advocate
