Royal Botanic Gardens: Sustainable Living Series

Rebecca Varidel
28th Feb 2018

The Sustainable Living series begins next month at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and aims to help Australians go back to their roots and learn new skills for a healthy lifestyle.

The Calyx will play host to a series of Saturday morning events carefully designed to inspire guests to learn and practice new skills for healthy living that don’t cost the earth. From learning the basics about beekeeping to making your own beauty products, to fermenting and preserving your own food, talks and workshops will reconnect guests with nature and natural products in a modern world.

Growing Greener Families

Saturday March 10th

10.00 am – 12.00 pm

Cost: $30 or $25 early bird

The first event in the series will be a powerhouse panel of inspiring women hosted by Kin & Kind and moderated by Shevonne Hunt from Kinderling Kids Radio that goes beyond the recycling rules.

Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney Jess Miller, Alex Elliot-Howery of Cornersmith and Laura Cunningham, Waste Warrior and midwife working at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital will share their ideas and insights into easy and effective ways to engage your family, role-model to kids and lead change in your home, community and workplace. Alex Elliot-Howery will also do a fermentation demonstration.

Plastic Free Home

Saturday 24 March 2018

10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Cost: $40 or $35 Foundation & Friends members

Plastics have infiltrated every aspect of our lives from packaging to food storage to skincare and clothes. Consequences are negative for our health as chemicals from plastic packaging leaches into our food, and also for the environment, with plastic pollution devastating our oceans and poisoning precious wildlife.

Sustainability educator Margaret Mossakowska will explore ways to reduce the use of chemical-laden household maintenance products and eliminate plastic from your life by suggesting alternatives to common products. Guests will also learn how to make a safe beeswax food wrap to take home.


Beekeeping for Beginners

Saturday April 28th
10.30 am – 1.30 pm

Cost: General Admission $50, Friends and Foundation Member $45

This three hour hands-on session led by beekeeper and best-selling author of Backyard Bees and The Bee Friendly Garden, Doug Purdie, will take you through the basics for setting up a bee hive with practical tips and tricks on how to get yours started, including the basic tools, gear and legal requirements.

Guests will learn the importance of pollinators and the differences between native bees and European honey bees and also have the opportunity to spin some honey from the Garden and taste the results.

Introduction to Fermenting

Saturday May 26th
10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Cost: General Admission $40, Friends and Foundation Member $35

Fermenting is one of the oldest methods of preserving food and enriches it by the action of bacteria and fungi. Fermented foods increase the diversity of our internal ecosystem – gut flora – by introducing and feeding a wide range of beneficial organisms for optimal gut health.

Sustainability educator Margaret Mossakowska will run a short presentation about the benefits of fermenting and about making ferments for health and beauty followed by a practical workshop during which guests will make a jar of delicious sauerkraut to take home.

Power of Healing Herbs

Saturday une 30th
10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Cost: General Admission $40, Friends and Foundation Member $35

The tradition of herbal lore is coming back in vogue as more people become concerned with avoiding artificial additives present in man-made pharmaceuticals. From calming tisanes, strengthening tinctures and throat gargles to burn gels and bruises ointments, herbs should be a part of every first aid kit.

Experienced sustainability educator Margaret Mossakowska will run a short presentation about healing herbal preparations for common ailments and will lead guests in a workshop to make their own medicinal ointment and headache tincture to take home.

Natural Skin Care

Saturday July 28th

10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Cost: General Admission $40, Friends and Foundation Member $35

Sustainability educator Margaret Mossakowska is back again for the final workshop in the series, running a short presentation about the benefits of making your own natural skincare products, with recipes and techniques for how.

The skin is our biggest organ and its ability to absorb substances present in our environment means that by using commercial cosmetics we expose ourselves to harmful agents. Natural skin and hair care products, toothpastes and deodorants can be easily made at home from common pantry items, fruit and herbs grown in your garden. Guests will learn how to make a small jar of cold cream to take home.

All events will be held in The Calyx a spectacular venue of integrated indoor and outdoor areas that reinvents itself through emotively themed exhibitions that change on a regular basis. It currently plays host to a kaleidoscope of colour in the free floral display Pollination.

Sessions sizes are limited so book your tix to avoid tickets www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

March 10th and 24th, April 28th, May 26th, June 30th, July 28th

Times: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Location: The Calyx, The Royal Botanic Garden, Mrs Macquarie’s Road, Sydney

Cost: between $25 - $50 per session