Sustainability Fiesta 2011 - Hulbert St, Fremantle

Hulbert Street, just off Douro Road in Fremantle is the most environmental  sustainable street in Perth.
Now in it´s 4th year, the Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta was held this weekend - 24th and 25th of September.

This event was started by the owners of The Painted Fish, (sustainable low-term accommodation) a couple with a passion for sustainability who managed to transmit that passion to the rest of the street.

The street residents are a very tight community -  lots of houses have solar power, water tanks, some grow their own vegetable gardens, own chickens...and even goats, make honey, preserve their fruit and vegetables.
So on this special weekend, this cul-de-sac is closed to traffic, and stalls are set up along the street selling plants, seeds, organic produce, second hand clothing and shoes, second hand books, food stalls, companies selling sustainable products like solar panels, water tanks and solar ovens. The owner of an electric car proudly talked about how it has saved him lots of money, buskers play their music, and experts talk about sustainability of course!

Start by cycling there...

With a view to encouraging people to live more sustainable lives, a few of the street residents even thrown open the door to their homes, and they have written information all over the house to enable visitors to wander and learn at their leisure. They share what has been done and what are their future plans to reduce their footprint.

This year´s poster (above) advertising the fiesta is based on a painting by local artist Tim Darby, with a pizza oven, which is a feature of Hulbert street, where the residents hold a weekly Wednesday pizza night.
They also hold Street movie nights!! Wow, that is a community worth living in.

I also noticed a lot of activities for the children - face painting, crafts, wood work - where I saw a lot of children banging some nails with small hammers into small pieces of wood.

Entry is by donation, and a lot of volunteers make this event successful.
If you live in Perth and  haven´t yet visited this fair, you will have to wait till next year, but you will certainly learn something and feel inspired to start your own sustainable journey. It certainly was a great day out.

Do you have this type of fair in your city? Or do you live in such a close knitted community like Hulbert Street?

Hulbert St, knitted street pole

A knitted wheel barrow

Old goffer (electric car for the elderly) to which an old armchair was adapted.

A sustainable kitchen with wood fired oven.

Plenty of preserves on the shelves

A vegetable garden on the street verge

Vegetable garden

School kids drove around this bathtub electric "car" selling raffle tickets

An old wicker couch gets used as a planting container

Chickens on side passage

Another street vegetable garden 

Pots made out of rubber tyres