Festivals and conventions are a great way to spread the word about our planet and the drastic changes it is undergoing. That’s where GreenFestival comes in. The cooperations Global Exchange and Co-op America are the main force behind this major traveling festival featuring a variety of authors, speakers, vendors and workshops all geared around environmental awareness and “going green.”
The festival has five nation-wide stops, beginning in Washington DC on November 8th and 9th and heading to San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and ending in Chicago in May of 2009. Each city will feature original local eventsand vendors as well as a number of repeating speakers. In fact, over 125 authors and speakers are scheduled to attend including Dr. Cornell West and environmental activist Winona LaDuke.
Exhibitors also vary by city, but include everything from community action groups to organic health and beauty products. Travel companies especially are investing, including specialty companies such as Tree House Point, which features overnight living literally in the trees. In short, it’s a great place to learn more about every aspect of eco-living.
A variety of organic and vegetarian foodstuffs are also readily available, ranging from coffees to individual grower like Eatwell Farm in California.
But naturally festivals equal waste. The Green Festival is trying hard to live up it its name by becoming a zero-waste event. Efforts include the use of reusable water jugs as well as100% biodegradable plastic ware that will be collected at the end of the festival. Public and non-petroleum transportation are encouraged through the use of incentives and all electric emissions are provided by clean, renewable sources.
Recycling is also an important tenet for the festival, evident in the wealth of receptacles and volunteers, as well as the use of 100% recycled materials for all advertisement.
You can learn more about the individual festivals at their website, and if you’re in the area plan on attending! The Green Festival, while one of the largest environmentally friendly festivals in the US, is just the start. Local festivals that center on green living are a great way to spread environmental living and celebrate the world we’re living in.
I am an junior English major/ Philosophy minor at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. Currently I am spending the spring of 2009 studying at the University College Cork in Cork, Ireland.
