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ATLANTIC EARTH FESTIVAL
BORN: Rosebud, Nova Scotia, summer 1989
DIED: Halifax, Nova Scotia, autumn 1998
Dear Atlantic Earth Festival Supporters 1989 - 1998:
Over the past ten years the Atlantic Earth Festival has endeavored to
provide a forum for environmentally concerned groups and individuals to
share their knowledge and perspectives in a public venue. It has also
provided a wonderful networking and growth opportunity for participating
organizations and persons as well as an enjoyable weekend for all
involved.
We can all agree that the AEF has great potential as an organization
committed to environmental education, networking, and the celebration of
our communities and our Earth.
However, during the October 4 Annual General Meeting of the Atlantic Earth
Festival Association, the Board of Directors had a difficult decision to
make regarding the future of the AEF.
Increasingly over the past few years, the AEF has been accomplished by a
ever smaller group of dedicated volunteers on an extremely restrictive
budget. This was especially true of the 1998 Festival. Organizing,
fundraising, and coordinating all the details for a full outdoor weekend
festival with workshops, displays and continuous entertainment for adults
and children is a massive undertaking.
Unfortunately, following through on our vision for the festival seems to
have become more and more work for fewer people with little outside
financial backing and inconsistant community support, resulting in
exhausted volunteers and festivals that did not reach their full
potential. (Many of you are likely familiar with variations on these
themes and realities in your own organizations).
Thus we feel a real need to step back and let others help carry the
organization, but realistically we realize there are simply not enough
committed volunteers available to carry the AEF through to next year.
Therefore, the AEF Board of Directors is regretfully closing down the
existing Atlantic Earth Festival Association.
As the AEF is a unique event that many thousands have enjoyed over the
past decade, we are all quite sad to make this decision. We are hopeful
that in some future time the AEF or something similar will be reinstated
with both the funding and the large pool of volunteer energy that are
necessary for it to thrive.
With this in mind, we have arranged that a comprehensive AEF archive will
be kept at the Halifax office of the Sierra Club of Canada (next door to
the Ecology Action Centre, at 5239 Blowers Street, Halifax, (902)
425-3939, <sierra@chebucto.ns.ca>). This will be accessible to the general
public as either a reference for those creating their own events or as a
resource for recreating the AEF itself. We have ten years of experience
and resources that some environmental and community organizations could
surely find useful. If, for some reason, the Sierra Club closes its
Halifax office the AEF archive will be transferred to another organization
with similar public accessability and compatible goals.
We are tremendously proud of what we have accomplished over the past
decade. It has not always been easy to produce the Atlantic Earth
Festival, considering the funding shortages, overworked volunteers,
innumerable crises, six different outdoor locations, and a remarkable
variety of weather including the remnants of Hurricane Bertha in 1996. But
we have learned a tremendous amount and have have enrichened our lives
with fun and frienships and truely believe it has been well worth the
effort. We see much positive change that has come out of these yearly
gatherings and we hope that many thousands of Atlantic Canadians have
learned something useful and carry fond memories from their experiences at
the Atlantic Earth Festival.
We sincerely wish to thank all past volunteers, musicians, entertainers,
the (very) occasional paid coordinators, advertisers, vendors, financial
supporters, equipment donors, raffle contributors, benefit participants,
festival goers and anyone else who supported us or contributed in any way
large or small to the successes we have had over the past decade.
Most of all we want to thank the NGO's and other committed environmental
and community organizations who work incredibly hard with usually limited
resources (we understand!) in a world often indifferent or even hostile to
your vision of a saner, more equitable and environmentally sustainable
world. You showed up year after year to share your expertise and
perspectives with us, each other, and the public. We have always believed
(and still do) that the general public needs to gain much more exposure to
your ideas and practical alternatives. It's for you and your visions that
we held the festival.
We are planning a farewell party/dance/benefit for Thursday November 19 at
the Marquee Club in Halifax. This will help us pay off almost all of our
current debts and will be a fabulous time to meet old friends, reminisce,
celebrate, and dance to some wonderful local musicians (including AEF
favourites past and present!). We hope to see you there.
So stay tuned. You never know what phoenix might emerge from the ashes . . .
Peace,
Board of Directors, Atlantic Earth Festival Association
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