On Saturday 14th February (2009) Sankofa was fortunate enough to have a stall at the inaugral Thin Green Line Music Festival held on the grounds of the beautiful Coolart Wetlands and Homestead on the Mornington Peninsula.

So what is the Thin Green Line ..... its a not-for-profit foundation established by Park Ranger Sean Wilmore - in 2003 Sean, travelled to 19 countries filming the dedicated Park Rangers responsible for the conservation and protection of wildlife in the world's forests and parks.

The result of this trip was an inspiring and moving DVD and the birth of the Thin Green Line Foundation - with all proceeds from the sale of the DVD used to support conservation projects and the families of Park Rangers killed while protecting wildlife.

The Thin Green Line Festival was a one day event celebrating conservation and sustainability and a great way to raise funds for the foundation - there was great music (Nicky Bomba worked the crowd into a frenzy), great food, micro-brewery beer and local wines, and a sustainability village of information stalls and products for sale.

We had a great time talking to people about fair trade and how many of our products are made from recycled material and natural fibres ... we've got recycled glass beads, recycled paper beads, recycled paper albums, straw maracas, pod shakers, straw baskets ... the list goes on.

It's interesting that people in developing countries look for materials to recycle because they're free or cheap - this means they don't have to outlay a lot of money on raw materials ... so its a cheaper way for them to earn a living ... and we in the 'developed west' look for products made from recycled materials primarily because of the environmental benefits - so it works for everyone involved!

Keep an eye open for the festival next year .... the Thin Green Line plan to make it an annual event .... and I'm tipping it'll just keep getting better.