Have nothing to do this weekend? Head down to Navy Pier to check out the Chicago Green Festival http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/230/200/. Last year was the first year and this year promises to be even bigger. About 350 local and national green businesses will sell their wares – environmentally conscious, eco-friendly, sustainable and fair trade. Throughout Saturday and Sunday there will be an array of speakers ranging from topics on home energy supply, green investing, healthy cleaning, organic cuisine and cooking tips, safe hygiene, eco-transport, fair trade industries, environmentally friendly clothing and accessories, green films, and even yoga. There are activities for children and live music, so bring the whole family.
Last year I volunteered on the “Green Team”, which is basically a nice way of saying garbage facilitator. What I did was help attendees sort garbage into one of four bins, recycling more than 93% of the “garbage” produced at the festival. Can you believe less that 7% of all the garbage produced at the event last year made it to the land fill and the rest was recycled or composted? Amazing!
Also, a discount is offered by Better World Books and Green Festival. These organizations are partnering to offer $5 off admission to attendees who bring in 3 or more books. Donated books will be sold on BetterWorld.com to help fund girls’ scholarships in developing countries in Asia through Room to Read. www.roomtoread.org. Pretty cool!