About NOW

National Organic Week has been initiated in Australia by the Centre for Organic Research & Education (CORE) in 2008.  CORE is a not-for-profit industry association conducting year round organic research, education and awareness activities.

CORE also organises International Composting Awareness Week Australia (ICAW) which takes place every year in the first full week of May.

The Centre for Organic Research & Education (CORE) hosts and promotes National Organic Week (NOW). Within these two programs CORE promotes and manages the key aspects that lead to community change towards organic products and practices.

NOW is a week of targeted media and locally-staged activities designed to increase awareness of the benefits of organic products and farming production systems and accelerate the uptake of these in the wider Australian community and environment.

Costa Georgiadis is the ambassador of National Organic Week

“Costa the Composter”, a Greek-Australian landscape architect and television personality, has an all-consuming passion for plants and people. On 20 December 2011 the ABC announced Costa Georgiadis would be the new host of Gardening Australia, with his first show premiering on 31 March 2012. Since 2012, Costa is the ambassador of NOW! We are very proud to have Costa as our ambassador!

Key goals of National Organic Week Australia

• Increase consumer demand for, confidence in, and appreciation for organically-grown produce and goods.
• Raise the general public’s awareness of the vital connection between organic farming methods and genuine global environmental sustainability: especially between climate change abatement, organic farming practices, food waste avoidance and composting.
• Increase knowledge among members of the general public, food sellers, purveyors, restaurateurs, retailers, café owners and farmers Australia-wide about the stringent and world recognised standards for Organic and Biodynamic Products.
• Engage and build capacity for non-organic and non-biological farmers to convert to organic and/or biological farming methods.
• Raise political awareness at relevant federal, state and local government levels of how sustainable organic and biological farming methods and products directly meet the agricultural and environmental challenges of the 21st Century.
• Give media profile to NOW’s week of activities including seminars, tastings, launches, while supporting industry stakeholders and sponsors to promote their organic products and organisations to the general public.