Green festival returns to Lawrence at new location

By Mandy Earles

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Little Green Festival, which celebrates businesses, organizations and others who have gone green, is coming to Lawrence for its second year in a row. Not many heard about the festival in its first year, which was held at the Big Cottonwood Forest of Burcham Park; this year, with the new location at South Park, 11th and Massachusetts streets, the festival promises to draw in a much bigger crowd.

Alison Roepe, founder of the Little Green Festival, said unlike last year, there would be many more activities with music, food, arts and crafts and even guest speakers.

“Last year, it was just one day,” Roepe said. “This year we’ve expanded it to two days. The second day will be all music and maybe food.”

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What: The Little Green Festival

Where: South Park, 11th and Massachusetts streets

When: 10 a.m. on Aug. 2 to noon on Aug. 3

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Roepe said this year there would be booths on every subject from solar power to cleaning supplies. She said people could learn about eco-friendly lifestyles and even where they could meditate.

She said they would have businesses, some local, showing off the ways they had gone green. Roepe said the businesses had to meet her standards of being sustainable, register and pay a small fee if they wanted to sell any products at the festival.

One business that met Roepe’s standards was Cromwell Environmental, 825 Vermont St., owned by Aron and Hannah Cromwell. Aron Cromwell said his business focused on solar energy and was interested in clean air and energy. Cromwell said he was going to speak about solar energy and its uses at the festival.

“There seems to be a lack of understanding for these types of technologies,” Cromwell said. “This will be a great opportunity to help educate the community.”

Another local business planning to attend the festival is Pawsh Wash and Pet Health Market, 1520 Wakarusa Drive, Ste. C, owned by Amber and Nichele Nickel. Amber Nickel said she became involved with the festival because Roepe was a customer of theirs and invited them.

“It is so great that Alison is doing this,” Nickel said. “This will help consumers understand there are products in their community that are eco-friendly.”

Nickel said they planned to bring some eco-friendly products like organic dog treats and biodegradable poop bags to the festival. She said they would have a booth selling their products, but that they’d also be collaborating with others to help educate the public on how to green their pets.

The festival will also have some local organizations that are environmentally conscious like Jayhawk Audubon Society. Chuck Herman, president of the Lawrence chapter, said the festival was a good opportunity not to just educate business consumers but to help educate families. Herman said they planned to have different activities for kids while their parents could learn about the environment.

“We will have cardboard cutouts and markers for the kids to decorate some bird feeders, which they can then take home with them,” Herman said.

Another local business owner, Rod Smith, owner of White Chocolate, 1005 Massachusetts St., said he registered to get a booth so he could sell some of their products like bamboo skateboards and organic cotton T-shirts.

He said he enjoyed the festival because he could learn about other businesses and what they were doing to become greener.

“This not only helps me learn about what I can do for my business but also what I can do at home,” he said.

Roepe said she thought the festival would encourage everyone to do at least one green thing, and that people would start thinking about what they buy. She said instead of a green movement, it was becoming a green revolution.

“At least I’ve planted one seed and got them thinking about what they can do,” Roepe said.

The Little Green Festival will start at 10 a.m. on Aug. 2 and at noon on Aug. 3 in South Park.

For more information on who will be attending and other activities, visit www.littlegreenfestivalinthebigcottonwoodforest.com.

— Edited by Kristin Hoppa

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