The Evanston Environmental Association (EEA) and the City of Evanston will be sponsoring the Second Annual Green Living Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd.
The title for this year’s event is “Walking the Walk – How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint.” The one-day festival will offer strategies, hands-on demonstrations and information on how to reduce our carbon footprint, while highlighting recent trends in green living.
“Our intent is to support the goals outlined in the City’s Climate Action Plan that was developed earlier this year,” says the festival’s chairperson, Fred Schneider. Mr. Schneider, who is also an EEA board member, says it is about getting the word out: “We need to get as many people involved as we can in order to make Evanston a greener community.”
Activities and crafts designed just for children will be offered throughout the day in the classroom while attendees will have the unique opportunity to meet and learn from nearly 50 vendors at the forefront of the green movement. The exhibits range from organic lawn care to natural pet products; automobile sharing to experimental solar cars; reusing everyday objects to reducing our energy consumption.
A lineup of experts will be speaking in the Community Room, led by keynote speaker Bill Sweitzer, a partner in Al Gore’s Climate Project. Other speakers will cover topics such as green remodeling and design, living and shopping locally, using solar energy to heat and cool homes, and “green parenting,” featuring Jenn Savedge, journalist and author of “The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Environmentally-Friendly Living.”
Attendees can bring their CFL bulbs to be recycled and those who bike to the festival can get a free bike tune-up. There will also be free rickshaw rides to add some fun while demonstrating an alternative form of transportation.
“We expect to have a great turngout,” says Mr. Schneider. “It will be fun and informative for the whole family.”
For more information, call 847-448-8256.