Programme

Travel

Get Involved

Market Stalls

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2009

and finally...

Welcome to the Big Green Weekend 2008. We have a variety of activities planned for you this year as well as bringing you the truly unique Big Green Market, with their blend of ethical, eco-friendly, Fairtrade and just plain wacky goods on offer in the Hebden Bridge Marina.

These days, with so much coverage of things like Climate Change and Carbon Footprints in the media, it's rare to find anyone who isn't aware of the environmental and ecological dangers currently facing humanity. Even as I write this, I am listening to Prince Charles launching in to a passionate defence of the rain forests on the radio. In our local area, apart from rocketing energy prices, one of the most visible signs of change is the increased risk of flooding. It was only a few months ago when the Burnley Road was cut by deep water both at Mytholmroyd and at the Heptonstall turning circle after all.

As a society, we are now aware, however reluctantly, that we need to make some lifestyle changes to try and combat the effects of some of the damage we are causing to the planet's fragile ecosystem if our grandchildren are to have a healthy and safe place to live. If we don't, future generations will want to know why.

What we seem unsure of though is what practical steps we should be taking to achieve this, and hopefully the Big Green Weekend will go some of the way to providing answers.

As well as the Big Green Market, there will be film showings, kids entertainment, workshops, boat trips, tastings, discussions and a whole lot more, as you will see in the full programme published elsewhere in this supplement.

Looking further ahead, next year I hope the Big Green Weekend can be spread to other areas of the Calder Valley. This area has long been known as a cradle of innovation and this represents an incredible opportunity for us to show off our green credentials to the outside world. Living in a place where business and pleasure, work and play, have always gone hand in hand with consideration and care for both people and the planet we live in, this is an opportunity to make the most of it.

Jason Elliott
Big Green Weekend Co-ordinator and Director, Green Refurb Ltd.