Tara GreavesNorfolk will play host to the first 10-day sustainable living festival in the country this month with more than 30 organisations providing advice and information on subjects ranging from energy saving tips to alien species.Tara Greaves

Norfolk will play host to the first 10-day sustainable living festival in the country this month with more than 30 organisations providing advice and information on subjects ranging from energy saving tips to alien species.

With activities for all the family, the festival culminates in a three-day BBC Garden Design Event which will transform the Forum in Norwich into a green paradise.

The Norwich and Norfolk Sustainable Living Festival is a free event organised by CUE East, which was set up last year to bring the University of East Anglia and the community closer together.

Professor Keith Roberts, CUE East steering group chairman, said: 'As the wise proverb says, 'Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children', so do come along and find out what people are doing locally to promote sustainable living.

'We are proud to present this first CUE East and Partners Sustainable Living Festival, which brings together Norwich and Norfolk communities and organisations with staff and students from the UEA campus in a fun and meaningful way, at a time when the cost of living and how to live sustainably are uppermost in people's minds.'

Thought to be the first of its kind in the country, the festival, which is backed by the EDP, includes:

Make and bake workshops for children and adults by the Produced in Norfolk enterprise of more than 130 artisans and food businesses.

Go on a treasure hunt and find the footprint clue cards to discover Smarter Travel Choices. Each correctly completed worksheet can be exchanged for a pedometer.

View a photographic exhibition from a competition open to 5,000 May Gurney team members on the subject of 'what sustainability means to me' which encourages personal responsibility.

See the alien species which have a huge impact on our environment and economy - considered the second biggest threat to biodiversity worldwide - and learn first-hand how you can help turn the tide of the insidious invasion.

Use a carbon-reduction calculator, from the Low Carbon Innovation Centre at UEA, to see the overall carbon footprint of the event.

Learn how to cut your power consumption and save money with the Energy Saving Trust.

The festival starts on May 22 and runs until May 31 at the Forum in Norwich and also includes a number of stalls and a series of exciting lectures and talks.

Bookings can be made in advance via the internet at community@ uea.ac.uk or sign up at the information desk during the festival.

For more about the various activities, visit www.cueeast.org.