High Expectations for the annual
2009 Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival.
I totally envisioned a jam packed event that would send me home begging for more. With stands of practical info, hands on demos of gardening, solar, and wind uses. Lets just say I was slightly disappointed, granted I went home with loads of info but the experience itself left me dry and empty.
(photo of Jocelyn drinking her Capri sun that I recycle sitting under the wind turbine that I wanted to steal!)
First off you would think with vendors spending over $300 for a spot not to mention the $1 parking and $12 entrance fee, you'd be inundated with cool demos and products. Quite the opposite, the majority of tables were strewn with pamphlet after pamphlet of info I could of stayed home and found on my computer. Okay so maybe helpful for the computer illiterate. Mind you most of the folks behind those tables were more than eager to point out how their product was far superior to the next gentleman's across the row. Yes, please tell me how you $40,000 solar home system is better than the exact same one I just saw 5 minutes ago. Or how about those windows that every company across America produces. What's so darn special about yours? So you want to come to my house and do a energy audit just so you can tell me what I already know....my hundred year old home is drafty and far from efficient. Now you can sell me that ridiculously expensive product that will make it all better! How about this take that product and put it where the sun don't shine and allow me to show you how I can conserve energy for just pennies. (If you really want me to tell you wait for another blog post!) Okay so maybe I'm being a little harsh but seriously the average American can only dream of having these wonderful products. We have children to feed, bills to pay, homes and vehicles to repair. Last thing we need is another loan to cover the cost of the gadget that won't even pay for itself until 2050. Yes government grants..blah...blah...blah, um? Your going to depend on Uncle Sam, have you learned NOTHING! (We're not going to talk politics because you know I'll just argue with you and tell you how stupid you are for voting for you know who soooo...) Okay so back the the festival.....
I did crack up when I took the girls to the bathroom to discover they overlooked a green factor...no low flow toilets or water saving faucets. Just funny.
One vendor in particular stood out for me. She was displaying a liquid vitamin that she insisted I should sample..."Here have a taste, it's the best thing you'll ever do." Um...hello? Sure I'll just drink some of your poisoned mystery beverage and drop dead together with everyone else. I don't know whats in that stuff! Not to mention fruits and veggies hold all their vitamins when they are fresh....process and bottle them with chemicals...how is that green? Seriously whoever was in charge of picking these vendors doesn't have a clue about the "green" factor.
Have you heard of the group who believes the only thing we can do to better our environment is "genocide". Yes you read it right, they are convinced that in order to cleanse and better our planet we need to wipe out the human race and start over! These people are going to extremes that I'm not even willing to post here. God have mercy on us all!
On a positive note there were a few pretty awesome stands (I'll include a list of my favorites at the end) like the recycled toothbrushes, hemp goods, bamboo clothing, Rodale books (I LOVE! but prefer to buy them used online), local farmers with honey, goats milk and cheese, herbs and indigenous plants. Experimental vehicles run on various biofuels and homemade mystery fuels.
The food stands which we passed up due to their high festival prices were providing a small variety of foods that you wouldn't find at your average fest. Wheat pizza, organic snacks, local free range meats, and of course plenty of vegan dishes. Apparently the extremists think my chickens I'm raising for eggs is a strike against my "Eco" standing.
Everyones view on "eco" or "green" is different and by all means you have the God given right to believe whatever you want. Personally I believe living simply, being self sufficient, using sustainable products, living along with nature not against it, being thrifty with what you given, teaching and sharing with those around us, fair trade, renewable clean energy, blah...blah...blah... I could go on but ...LOL!
We need to look at life as the "whole" picture. It's not just us right now. It's not just what you're doing this second. It's how it's going to affect others, where it's going, will it harm anything? I've noticed that a large portion of the older generation and the uneducated feel there's no point in doing our little part to save the environment. To them I say, If you care about your children and grandchildrens future you'd do something. It's up to us right now to secure their futures with clean air and clean water, to teach them how to provide for themselves and how to share with others. If we don't teach them someone else will and you may not like who they become. May we each do our part in securing our childrens future..... recycle something, lend a hand to your neighbor, replace one cleaning product with a safer eco-friendly product, walk or car pool to run your errands. DOING SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!
http://www.gp.org Green party of the US
www.gpofpa.org Green party of PA
www.rodaleinstitute.org check out their Shumei Natural Garden
www.breezedryer.com line dry and save our sky!
www.WashTyme.com check out what this soap is made from!
www.bamboulaltd.com Support African artisans
www.woodspoon.com beautiful sustainable utensils
www.hempzels.com super yummy goods from hemp
Check out these cool sites for green energy, buying local, even green political stands!
(PLEASE pardon any grammer errors along the way....when I get going I don't look back!)
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