Green Festival 2007

Yesterday I attended the Green Festival 2007 at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center. This was the first time I attended anything like this and it was great! The festival had speakers, music, and exhibitors for everything green.

I consider myself an environmentally friendly person. I recycle, attempt to buy organic products, support local companies, and use public transportation on a daily basis. After attending the festival I realize that I am only skimming the surface on living a ‘green’ lifestyle. Upon leaving I asked myself: How I can be greener?

First, what is green? According to the Green Festival, green means “safe, health communities and a strong, local economy.” What I learned is that sustainability is at the core of being green. It is also a general awareness of the connections and impacts that we each have on our community, locally and globally.

The festival introduced a plethora of everyday options that are green. With growing awareness, a green lifestyle may not be as life altering or radical as it once was. I was impressed with the wide variety of green products and organizations working to improve the world environmentally and politically. There are also companies that provide alternatives for environmentally conscious consumers. Alternatives range from telephone carriers (Better World Telecom) to financial services to hotels (Kimpton Hotels) to office supplies (Green Earth Office Supply). The each offer the same services that a typical American is looking for, while doing their part for the environment. By contributing to global sustainability these will be the companies of our future.

Here is a list of just a few of the exhibitors and organizations I found most interesting and applicable to environmental planning: CoHousing Partners, Greenbelt Alliance, SF Electric Vehicle Association, Build it Green, Sustainable Communities, and even PG&E had educational materials.

Please explore a Green Festival near you.