Director of Green City Events talks to alt.cardiff about launching the sustainability message in the city.
Becca Clarke is director of Green City Events in Cardiff
Being the director of a sustainable events company in the city demands astute knowledge of the field, as well as plenty of drive and unwavering passion. For Becca Clark, director of Green City Events (GCE), that’s just the grassroots.
Sat clutching a steaming broth of lemon, honey and cloves, the 30 year-old explains how this age-old remedy, as well as swallowing garlic gloves is a great way to ward off a cold. Dressed aptly in jade skinny jeans, bottle-green DM’s and a blue and green floral cardigan, she explains how growing up, her family and in particular her mum were a big influence on her eco mind-set, “Mum loved creating eco crafts and her passion for sustainability definitely had an influence on me, I was a vegetarian from the age of 6 and started a group at school called the ‘Green Team’, we went around trying to raise awareness of Save the Whales and things like that”, she laughs.
Leaving her hometown in East Sussex behind, Becca studied graphic design for a year in Plymouth and followed it with three years at Uwic University. Living in Cardiff cemented her love for the South West and Cardiff, where she remains today. “It’s a great city – big but small at the same time, and lots going on.”
“After Uni I worked at Lush designing training notes – their passion for sustainable ingredients really inspired me but I think it was travel that really motivated me to do something with my ideas.” Along with her best friend, Becca travelled to India, South East Asia, New Zealand and Australia and spent some time volunteering whilst in India. “What I learnt from my time away is that we don’t need to have so much, in India they’re just happy with their friends, family and the basics.”
This passion eventually lead to the creation of Green City Events, the Cardiff based organisation which aims to raise people’s awareness of sustainable living in the city and works with other organisations and communities in Cardiff to promote this ethos. What started as a personal interest grew into something more tangible, and in 2011 a grant from Unlimited gave Becca the funding she needed to turn GCE into a brand.
“It was one of those things that just grew” she enthuses, “After travelling I made contacts at the festivals I used to go to and also within Cardiff. The council then asked me to collaborate with them on the first One Planet Living Festival where I realised that sustainable living in the city was something people were really interested in.”
As well as working with organisations to promote and put on events Becca has started to run workshops at places like Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, teaching skills like craft recycling and sustainable living for city dwellers.
“I see myself as the facilitator”, she offers, “But people in Cardiff doing these things are the people who make Green City Events.”
GCE will be at the Festive Food Fair at Chapter Arts Centre in Canton on 16 December, running a range of recycled craft workshops.
Becca holds workshops on recycled crafts and sustainable living