| San Francisco Goes Green in Record Numbers |
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Contact: Becky Wisdom/Katie Hunsberger
OrganicWorks Marketing 212.253.0474 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Francisco Goes Green in Record Numbers
Over 41,000 Attend the World’s Leading Authority in Green Living The 6th Annual Green Festival San Francisco, CA (December 1, 2007) – Green Festivals, the joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America and the nation’s largest green consumer show, celebrated its sixth year in San Francisco from November 9th-11th, 2007 at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center. Amidst news of the tragic oil spill in the Bay, the Festival drew a record-breaking attendance of over 41,000 people from all backgrounds and shades of green. Combined with the numbers from this year’s Green Festival events in Washington DC and Chicago – the San Francisco event pushed total 2007 attendance to over 100,000. The weekend kicked off Friday night with an exciting presentation by Deepak Chopra, the leading thinker in holistic wellness and awareness. To accommodate the enormous growth in audiences, Chopra was the first guest speaker of the weekend to address an enthusiastic standing-room only crowd in the spacious Gift Center, located adjacent to the Concourse Exhibition Center. Exploring the topic of the “Environment as the Extended Body,” Chopra spoke to the connection of each human being' to their natural environment. The crowds also turned out for notable speakers Paul Hawken, Gary Zukav, Fritjof Capra , Lynne Twist and Lawrence Lessig. When they weren’t experiencing the event’s colorful discourse, attendees were given an unlimited opportunity to shop with their conscience and “vote with their dollars” as they either introduced or further embraced changes towards healthier, greener ways of living. In addition to the enormous array of products and services to explore, visitors had the opportunity to partake in workshops, enjoy live music, and build greener foundations as they networked with like-minded individuals. “At the Green Festivals we have created a definition for DEEP green business enterprise: a definition that includes a serious commitment to social justice and environmental restoration, in addition to financial sustainability,” says Green Festival Executive Co-Producer and Global Exchange co-founder Kevin Danaher. “This is a triple-bottom-line model that will soon surpass the old single bottom line model.” While many events and tradeshows are notoriously wasteful, utilizing excessive energy and dumping tons of waste into landfills, Green Festival is an exemplary model of environmental responsibility. As it does every year, San Francisco Green Festival demonstrated its commitment to walking its green talk by reusing, recycling or composting 96% of all show waste, translating into only 4% of waste going into landfills. Hundreds also pedaled their way to reduced carbon emissions; arriving by bicycle meant reduced admission costs and free “valet parking.” Efforts taken to reduce the event’s environmental impact include:
SAN FRANCISCO GREEN FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED:
Green Festival’s stringent screening process ensures all exhibitors and sponsors meet the best practices and highest integrity standards for businesses on a green mission. A joint project of two influential non-profit organizations, Global Exchange and Co-op America, Green Festival brings individuals, businesses and investors together to create sustainable economic solutions for communities and the environment. This year’s Green Festival continued to celebrate the positive impact of sustainable living, eco/organic products for personal health and wellness and the importance of critical initiatives like carbon reduction, global citizenship and renewable energy. Green Festival San Francisco 2007 Partners Adina, Amazing Grass, Annie’s Inc, Better World Books, Calvert, Care 2, Clif Bar, Cody’s Books, Dagoba, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Earthsite, Enlightenment Card, Gaiam, GAP Adventures, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Honest Tea, Kimpton Hotels, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oil, New Society Publishers, Numi Organic Tea, Organic Valley, Planeterra, Rainbow Grocery, Gaiam Real Goods, Ranch 7 Creative, Sambazon, SevenStar Events, TS Designs, Working Assets Corporate Innovators Cisco Brothers, PG & E, Christie Communications About Co-op America: Co-op America is the national nonprofit green economy organization founded in 1982, dedicated to harnessing economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—and to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. www.coopamerica.org. About Global Exchange: Global Exchange is a membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world. Since its founding in 1988, Global Exchange has successfully increased public awareness of root causes of injustice while building international partnerships and mobilizing for change. www.globalexchange.org ### |
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