Introduction
Environmental festivals are becoming increasingly popular, and many countries that desire to create environmental awareness are turning to environmental festivals as a means of spreading environmental conservation messages and creating awareness with regards to the importance of resolving environmental problems. The Tbilisi conference on environmental education, held at Tbilisi, Georgia in 1977, identified overriding objectives that the conference participants felt, if realized, sustainable environmental management would be achieved (UNESCO-UNEP, 1978, p.3).
The objectives included creating awareness amongst people, spreading information and knowledge on the need for environmental preservation, creating in individuals an attitude and desire for protecting the environment, training in skills that aid in environmental preservation, and encouraging participation in resolving environmental problems. As the importance of sustainable environmental practices has increased, the need for environmental festivals to go beyond the mere creation of awareness has arisen. The creation of awareness is crucial; however, it should not be the ultimate goal of festivals concerned with environmental preservation.
Therefore, in line with the Tbilisi declaration objectives, more environmental festivals are concerning themselves with achieving the objectives set at the Tbilisi conference (Arcodia & Whitford, 2007, p.3). For instance, Lawton and Weaver point out how birding festivals, concerned primarily with the protection and preservation of bird species, are also engaged in education for sustainability – teaching participants sustainable environmental management practices (2010, p.527). Participants in such festivals are even engaged in actual environmental preservation practices such as recycling and energy conservation.
Butler and Hinch also showcase how environmental and heritage festivals, in and of themselves, positively influence participants and the local communities into acquiring new concepts and ideas propagated in these environmental festivals (1996, p.105). Environmental festivals and fairs can and do, play a pivotal role in creating awareness, teaching skills, providing information, and instilling on participating individuals and groups a desire and attitude geared towards sustainable environmental management; therefore, environmental festivals provide education for sustainability.
Motivating factors for participants in environmental festivals and their function in aiding education for sustainability
Participants in environmental festivals are usually persons keen on environmental conservation. Besides the organizers and stakeholders who create and plan these festivals, and who by their status are conservationists, the participating public is usually composed of individuals and groups with an interest in environmental conservation. According to Measham and Barnett, besides festivals being a place where people of all backgrounds can receive information from a common source, the fact that participants in environmental festivals have a common purpose and interest in environmental conservation makes it possible for organizers to make progress in resolutions made at such events (2008, p.540).
Measham and Barnett argue that most participants in environmental festivals easily volunteer to perform tasks during and after the festivals due to this commonality of interest. For instance, many participants of the long-running Earth watch environmental conservation program do so out of care for the environment, for their personal development, and the desire to establish social contact with other like-minded participants. The table below illustrates:
TABLE 1. Principal motivations for different participants of environmental festivals in Bass Coast and Sydney, Australia
Source: Measham & Barnett
As the table above suggests, most of the participants in environmental festivals are primarily concerned with care for the environment, as all participants in both Sydney and Bass Coast regions cite this particular motivating factor. Due to their keen interest in sustainable environmental management, these participants are likely to be highly receptive to education for sustainability messages communicated in these festivals. According to Tilbury, sustainability as a concept in environmental conservation involves: reconciling economic development and environmental conservation; incorporating environmental conservation in socioeconomic and political spheres of society; and the need to factor conservation in all development projects undertaken within a society/community (1995, p. 197).
Therefore, all endeavors for sustainable environmental education should factor in the above entities of sustainability. The importance of environmental festivals and fairs as a medium for delivering education for sustainability messages is highlighted through the fact that these environmental festivals are avenues for social, economic and political discussions. They are thus an appropriate venue for teaching sustainable environmental management skills and practices. According to Sharpe, festivals of any nature are important in fostering social change (2008, p.217). Additionally, the collective resolutions arrived at in such festivals are important pointers and motivators for achieving social change (Matarraso, 2007, p.450).
Focusing on the socio-political aspects of these environmental festivals, Gursoy, Kim, and Uysal argue that, such festivals offer a stage for individuals keen on delivering important social or political messages beneficial to the community or society (2004, p.171). Many of the attendees at these environmental fairs are passionate about the particular cause that they are championing, be it social, political or economic. Such a group is thus the best bet for impressing upon the values, skills, and awareness envisioned in all education for sustainability endeavors. Additionally, since many festivals are annual affairs, they offer an opportunity for organizers, participants, and other stakeholders to take stock of progress made within a particular year.
Case Study: The Greenheart Environmental Fare in Brisbane Australia
This year one of the premier environmental fairs in Australia, the Green Heart Environmental Fair, will be held on October 16 in Brisbane. The activities planned for this year’s event fit well with the provisions of education for sustainability (Citysmart, 2011). For instance, this year’s event will feature nearly fifty sustainability displays by participants. Such displays will prove to be of immense educational value to the attendants and other participants in the festival in their quest of adopting practices that conserve the environment over the long term. Additionally, participants will be taught how to practice sustainable cooking practices within their homes.
The events planned for this year’s Green Heart Fair thus fit well with the objectives of the Tbilisi declaration because the event organizers have put ultimate focus on education for sustainability. The sustainability displays planned will create knowledge and awareness on sustainable environmental management amongst the participants and their respective communities, because as stated by Gursoy, Kim and Uysal, participants in such festivals are always keen to share messages and skills received during such festivals/fairs (2004, p.172).
Furthermore, in line with the Tbilisi declaration on teaching skills and influencing the attitudes of individuals, the sustainability displays and the sustainable cooking demonstrations fit will with these particular objectives of the declaration. Finally, because the Green Heart Fair is held annually, a follow-up and progress evaluation of past activities is possible through the Green Heart Program (Brisbane, 2011). Therefore, the participants are more likely to acquire an attitude of concern and care for the environment over a long period, in line with the Tbilisi declaration of creating such an attitude in individuals and groups within society.
Conclusion
As argued in this paper, environmental festivals can be able to provide education for sustainability. These festivals, as sociopolitical and economic avenues for participants to share skills and ideas, offer the best platform for teaching sustainability skills and creating in participants an attitude of care for the environment. As the case study of the Green Heart Fair has shown, environmental festivals serve an important function of furthering and fulfilling the objectives of the Tbilisi declaration and thereby educating the larger society on sustainable environmental management practices.
References
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