This message resonated throughout Saturday's Sustainable Living Fair at Gateway Village, Wodonga, where about 50 stallholders showcased sustainability.

Organiser Kate Nottingham said the interactive fair, the first event of a nine-day festival, gave people ideas on how to make the best use of produce and products.

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"Teaching people what small things they can take on in their life, then if their whole community does it, that big impact it can make," she said.

Albury couple Grant and Janet Waite had come for a look "sort of accidental", but appreciated the thinking behind the fair.

"We're just quite mindful about how we reuse things and how we dispose of things," Mr Waite said.

Wangaratta's Peter Avery particularly liked the activities that involved children.

"The more stuff like this, the more people might take notice," he said.