Arriving at the entrance of the Melbourne Big Day Out at 9:30am, I immediately felt the hot dry wind and the anticipation of the hundreds of youngsters lining up an hour and a half early.

Campaigning from 11 to 7 with breaks for re-hydration and music appreciation, our team of volunteers successfully survived the summer heat (approx 38°C) to engage the diverse range of festival goers on issues of climate change and global poverty.

Whilst some people were more intent on talking about MIA, Iggy Pop or Tool, many were happy discussing the impacts of climate change and the lacklustre performance of the major parties to commit to reducing emissions and embracing renewable energy in order to limit the earth’s warming.