“This year the Green Festival will be held at the Qwest Event Center next weekend, May 21-22. For more information, check out the online program guide.”
Green Festival Seattle at Qwest Event Center via Jack Olmstead – Seattle Pi Blogs
Archive for May, 2011
“Kucinich said he doesn’t want to fuel speculation “that is already pretty hot” about his 2012 plan, but he’s scheduled to be back in Washington later this month.
A day before he addresses a Green festival in Seattle, he is scheduled to headline a $45-per-person fundraiser next weekend for the 45th Legislative District Democrats and the Washington State Progressive Caucus in Woodinville, Wash.”
The Olympian editorializes against Kucinich via David Cantanese – Politico
“On the PR side, they’ve launched campaigns like Save The Plastic Bag, which are flooding websites and media with sometimes misleading information: namely, that reusable bags may contain germs that could get your family sick if you don’t wash them (duh: every piece of cloth can contain germs if you don’t wash it, including tea towels, garments, cleaning cloths, etc.).
On the legal side, they’ve sued cities that have banned plastic bags like Oakland, CA, Fairfield, CA, and San Jose, CA, arguing that the decisions were taken without proper environmental impact studies and asking for bans to be taken down.
Unsatisfied with these practices, this business group seems to be taking the next step: filing suits against entrepreneurs that are standing up against single-use plastics. Such is the case of a recent lawsuit that three major plastic bag producers have filed against ChicoBag Company, a pioneering company in the reusable bag movement.”
Plastic Bag Companies Now Suing Entrepreneurs: The ChicoBag Case via Paula Alvarado – TreeHugger
“My latest intellectual Bosnia has been the knot of issues that’s come to be known as “sustainability.” In this regard, I suspect I’m not alone, especially among business people, many of whom still tend to associate these ideas with increased cost and government regulation.
The idea that “going green” could actually be profitable, a notion put forth by economists as long as 20 years ago, remains a source of skepticism in some quarters. If you still need convincing, pick up Edward Humes’s excellent new book, “Force of Nature” (Harper Business, 265 pages, $27.99), the story of how the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, came to go green. I’ll wager that you won’t look at sustainability issues quite the same way again. It certainly opened my eyes.”
Behind the Greening of Wal-Mart via Bryan Burrough – NY Times
“Families visiting the Green Kids Zone at Green Festival Chicago 2011 on Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 can enjoy a variety of physical, creative, and educational play activities, as well as lively entertainment presented on stage. On Saturday, this area was bustling with happy children doing everything from making newspaper shark fins at the Discover the Depths table to singing along with The Chicago School of Blues on stage. When taking a break from learning about the eco-friendly products on display at the rest of the festival, families can stop by the Green Kids Zone to learn about the natural world in the following fun and playful ways.”
Educational, eco-friendly fun at Green Kids Zone at Green Festival Chicago 2011 via Renee Carver – Chicago Children’s Toys Examiner
“Visitors to Green Festival Chicago 2011 can learn about Mr. Ellie Pooh elephant dung paper, used by this eco-friendly fair trade company to craft gifts and other products to try to help the plight of elephants in Sri Lanka. The company’s line of merchandise includes a special children’s story book that explains the situation in a child-friendly way, as well as organic cotton T-shirts and baby onesies that continue to spread the company’s message with a funny “Poo happens…” slogan.”
Mr. Ellie Pooh elephant dung paper at Green Festival Chicago 2011 via Renee Carver – Chicago Children’s Toys Examiner
Chicago's Green Festival
May 17
“The Green Festival is being held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, 2011. One million people are expected to attend the environmentally friendly festival, which promotes healthy living, environmental health and social justice.
The weekend festival will be kicked off with a Green Ribbon Cutting by Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon at 11:00 a.m. 10th Green Festival at McCormick Place Chicago
Expect a weekend packed with information and entertainment at McCormick Place Lakeside. There are so many events during the festival that you will want to organize a game plan. Some of the highlights include: Truck Farm Chicago, organic cooking demonstrations and a Green Products Showcase.”
Chicago Green Festival – schedule of highlights via Christine Nyholm – Chicago Environmental Health Examiner
May 21-22, Qwest Event Center (800 Occidental Avenue S., Seattle): The Green Festival. Billed as “the nation’s premier sustainability event,” this wide-ranging extravaganza of alternative, well, everything features a long and variegated list of guest speakers, exhibitors, arts, crafts and musicians. And it won’t cost you much green: between $5 and $25, depending on how, when and where you pay. Be there or be Republican.
May be a busy month, liberally speaking via Matthew Thuney – Seattle Liberal Examiner
Excerpted from: Taking Aim at Mutant Capitalism via Nic Halverson – Mindful Metropolis
John Perkins, author of the New York Times bestseller, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, talks about his most recent book and how to create a more equitable and ethical economy
Are you starting to see more companies—one’s that honor true cost accounting—emerge through the Green Festivals?
It really gives me great hope when I see things like the Green Festival, where there’s a very strong vetting of the products that are sold there and we’re looking at companies that really are producing clothes, food, shoes and appliances in a much more socially and environmentally responsible way. And I have to say that I don’t think any of these companies are perfect at this point, but we’re moving in that direction. At places like the Green Festival, you have this huge market place where so many things are for sale that are all being [produced] in the most advanced socially and environmentally responsible ways that we know today. That gives me great hope and its always pushing the envelope. So every year these companies ought to get better at what they do and over time, perhaps, we’ll be approaching perfection and maybe someday we might even reach it. But in the meantime, what we all ought to do is support companies that have made a commitment to being socially and environmentally responsible.
It sounds like communities that foster social and environmental stewardship really motivate you to speak at and participate in the Green Festivals.
Absolutely. I’ve been speaking at the Green Festivals for many years now and I’m speaking at all of them this next year. The last couple of years Amy Goodman and I have been the only ones who have spoken at all of them. People sometimes ask me, ‘how can you afford to do that [every year] as so things don’t get tedious at the Green Festivals?’ And my response is, ‘How can I afford not to? I have a three-and-a-half-year-old grandson and I want to make a better world for him and all his brothers and sisters on the planet.’ So, how can I afford not to do it? We can teach a lot of people and support a very, very good cause. And the organizations behind the Green Festival are all very committed and dedicated to creating a more environmentally and socially responsible planet.