“AM 1090 wants YOU to go GREEN at the Seattle Green Festival, THIS WEEKEND at Qwest Event Center!
Join AM 1090 & Don Willis Furniture for the Festival at the Qwest Field Event Center THIS Saturday, May 21, 2011 10am – 7pm & Sunday, May 22, 2011 11am – 6pm! PLUS when you stop by our booth, you can enter to win 2 Natural Cedar Adirondack chairs courtesy of Don Willis Furniture!”
The Green Festival Hits Seattle THIS Weekend! via CBS Seattle
“Do you live for the weekend? Beyond being a loyal TGIFer, are you a TGIS&S (Thank God It’s Saturday and Sunday) kind of person — lazy as the Fremont Troll?
This pullout is for you. Here’s a weekend-by-weekend, stick-it-on-the-fridge, Best Bets edition of Summer Guide.
(Check Summer Guide’s monthly calendars for details on dates and times.)
May 21-22 weekend
You know all those elderly, burnt-out-hippie rock stars who are the big draw at little casinos? If their essence was boiled down and cast on the wind (OK, it’s a stretch, but stay with us here) it would settle like a fine mist on The Ave in Seattle’s University District and up would pop the University District StreetFair. It’s considered the kickoff of Seattle’s summer festival season, with the street cred to back that up: 42 years as a purveyor of macramé plant hangers, bangly earrings, henna tattoos and painted faces, along with more fire eaters, meat-cleaver jugglers, pan-pipe bands and hula-hooping guitar pickers than you’ll find anywhere this side of Eugene.www.udistrictchamber.org/StreetFair.
And don’t forget: Horned helmets and clog dancing atViking Fest in Poulsbo; tips for eating a Douglas fir (maybe?) at the Seattle Green Festival; and nautical, San Juan-y fun at Anacortes Waterfront Festival.”
A weekend-by-weekend guide to summer fun around Seattle via Brian Cantwell – Seattle Times
“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
“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
“This year’s annual Chicago Green Festival taking place on May 14th and 15th at Chicago’s McCormick Place Lakeside occurs as Green Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2011, with an updated interactive marketplace and countless learning opportunities designed to promote sustainability and interconnectivity within the green movement.
Green Festival is a joint project of Green America and Global Exchange, two cutting-edge nonprofits that have been dedicated to furthering environmental and social concerns for nearly 30 years.
The goal of the Green Festivals, which are playfully dubbed ”Parties with a Purpose,” is to promote healthy living by addressing a wide variety of social, economic and environmental concerns.”
10th anniversary for Green Festival in 2011, Chicago event May 14th and 15th via Kirsten E. Silven – Earth Times
Chicago has officially met all of the criteria to be declared a Fair Trade Town and joins the ranks of nearly 1,000 Fair Trade Towns throughout the world, including London, Rome, Barcelona and Boston. The city is now the largest Fair Trade Town in the United States and the second largest in the world.
Oakland, CA - May 6, 2011 Fair Trade USA™, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, today announced that Chicago is the largest Fair Trade Town in the United States and the second largest in the world. Chicago has officially met all of the criteria to be declared a Fair Trade Town and joins the ranks of nearly 1,000 Fair Trade Towns throughout the world, including London, Rome, Barcelona and Boston. A celebration and global marketplace takes place today from 9am-6pm in Daley Plaza to commemorate Chicago’s newest claim to fame.
“We applaud the work that Chicago Fair Trade has done to build a network of citizens and businesses committed to social justice, environmental sustainability and the empowerment of farmers in the developing world,” said William Linstead Goldsmith, National Coordinator of Fair Trade Towns USA.“Meeting the criteria to become a Fair Trade Town was not an easy feat for such a big city, but Chicago has proven that it’s possible, and the city has set an example for other large metropolitan areas to follow.”
The campaign to make Chicago a Fair Trade town has been underway for more than two years, an effort let by Nancy Jones, director of Chicago Fair Trade. Jones added, “As strategies for global stability are being re-assessed, we think the city’s commitment to Fair Trade sends a significant message to our global trade partners that we are concerned about their development as well as our own.” Chicago Fair Trade is a nonprofit organization made up of individuals, businesses, students and NGO’s that are committed to raising awareness and support for Fair Trade within their community in order to make a larger impact on farming communities abroad.
The celebration in Chicago’s Daley Plaza will feature a global marketplacewith 20 fair trade vendors selling products that protect the environment and pay producers a living wage, as well as interactive activities and West African drum music. Department of Environment Commissioner Suzanne Malec-McKenna and Roxanna Salvador, leader of a fair trade cocoa cooperative in Ecuador will provide brief remarks. Jerome McDonnell, host of WBEZ’s World View program will emcee.
Fair Trade is a multi-stakeholder effort to alleviate poverty in the developing world. It empowers consumers to vote with their dollars for fair prices, better working conditions, environmental stewardship, and brighter futures for the people who make the high-quality products that we buy every day.
The specific criteria to be officially recognized as a Fair Trade Town include showcasing Fair Trade products available in local stores, developing an active citizen support network, collaborating with community institutions, engaging media, and formalizing support from the local government. These criteria are designed to empower citizens to develop a permanent platform in their communities for continued outreach and advocacy.
Fair Trade Towns USA unites a diverse group of inspired Fair Trade activists including project collaborators the Fair Trade Federation, a North American trade association of organizations fully committed to Fair Trade, and the Fair Trade Resource Network, which gathers, develops, and disseminates educational resources to people and organizations interested in the movement. The goal of the campaign is to raise consumer awareness, increase the availability of Fair Trade products, and drive sales in order to help lift millions of farming families out of poverty. Fair Trade Towns USA is funded in part by a generous grant of $50,000 from Green Mountain Coffee®, and a three-year commitment of $925,000 from the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Foundation.
There are now 21 Fair Trade Towns in the United States, including Boston, San Francisco, Madison, Burlington and Milwaukee. On June 4, 2011 the global Fair Trade community will celebrate the naming of the 1,000th Fair Trade Town. There are currently 40 active campaigns to create additional Fair Trade Towns in the United States, including campaigns in Austin, Oakland, Los Angeles and Seattle.
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About Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade USA (previously TransFair USA), a nonprofit organization, is the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. Fair Trade USA audits and certifies transactions between U.S. companies and their international suppliers to guarantee that the farmers and workers producing Fair Trade Certified goods were paid fair prices and wages, work in safe conditions, protect the environment, and receive community development funds to empower and uplift their communities. Fair Trade USA educates consumers, brings new manufacturers and retailers into the Fair Trade system, and provides farming communities with tools, training and resources to thrive as international businesspeople. Visit www.FairTradeUSA.org for more information.
Apr 29
Tulong LLC and their Repair the World Apparel Earn Green America's Seal of Approval
CINCINNATI, OH – April 28, 2011 Tulong LLC is thrilled and proud to announce it has been awarded the Green America Business Seal of Approval. The seal is presented to businesses that go beyond product and service quality to set the highest standards in environmental sustainability and social justice, and work to solve, rather than create, environmental and social problems.
To be considered for the Seal of Approval and earn a listing in the annual National Green Pages™, businesses complete a rigorousscreening process to ensure they meet Green America’sstandards for the environment, community and labor.
Tulong LLC designs and manufactures casual, active and lifestyle apparel for men, women, and children as well as fashion apparel for women, all manufactured from 100% recycled fiber. Tulong markets its products under the Repair the World®, Reparel™, Sloungewear™ and Slogawear™ brands. All products are made in socially compliant facilities and the company gives back to communities in need through re-investment in infrastructural development.
“We are very pleased to earn this coveted Green Business Seal of Approval,” said Mark Heiman, co- founder and President of Tulong. “It’s one of the most respected and recognized symbols in the green marketplace. It is especially rewarding for us as a young company to see that our strong efforts in building a sustainable business based on a triple bottom line philosophy is recognized.”
Tulong LLC is now an approved member of the Green Business Network, a distinguished and celebrated group of companies that use their products and services as a vehicle for social and environmental change.
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More on the Green Business Network
The Green Business Network (GBN) offers a vibrant community of over 4,000 environmentally and socially responsible businesses, the oldest and largest of its kind in the US. GBN is powered by Green America, a non-profit whose mission is to harness the economic power of consumers and businesses to create a more just and sustainable economy. More information on GBN can be found at www.greenbusinessnetwork.org and click here for more on the Seal of Approval.
About Repair The World® Apparel
Repair the World® clothing is thoughtfully made from sustainable resources (recycled colored cotton and recycled polyester from plastic bottles). Designed using K2N™ recycled yarn technology, Repair the World® apparel is extremely comfortable, unique, individual, edgy, and fashionable. Conscious consumers who live active lifestyles, want to promote societal change, and desire to preserve natural resources for present and future generations really appreciate that no new natural resources or chemical dyeing are used in the manufacture of Repair the World® eco apparel. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Repair the World® clothing supports global, sustainable development through livelihood training, by creating employment opportunities, and by improving underdeveloped community infrastructure. More information about Repair the World® clothing can be found on Facebook at Repair the World® apparel, Twitter @rtwnow, visiting our website, http://www.repairtheworldnow.com, or contacting Mark Heiman, mheiman@tulongllc.com, 513-383-3880.
About Tulong
Founded in 2008, Tulong LLC is a for-profit social enterprise that develops, markets and sellsRepair the World® Reparel™, and Sloungewear™ brands of eco-apparel (recycled colored cotton and recycled polyester) to retailers, socially responsible organizations, and conscious consumers who value sustainability, social action and social justice. Guided by the values of corporate social responsibility, transparency & accountability, and sustainable business practices, Tulong is committed to helping repair the world by selling comfortable, multi-use sustainable clothing where profits support global, sustainable development through livelihood training, by creating employment opportunities, and by improving underdeveloped community infrastructure. More information about Tulong LLC can be found at www.tulongllc.com or contacting Mark Heiman at mheiman@tulongllc.com or calling Mark Heiman at 513-383-3880.
At the Venezuelan Embassy’s Bolivarian Hall
Washington DC – April 27, 2011 Environmental leaders met on Tuesday, April 26, at the Venezuelan embassy’s Bolivarian Hall to share their experiences and celebrate their joint work in protecting the environment, promoting social justice and food security, combating climate change, and fighting for a cleaner earth.
The event, organized by the Rural Coalition, ChecktheWeather.TV, Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, Live Green and the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, sought to pave the way for activists of the nation’s capital to make connections to further work at the local, national and global level aimed at saving the earth. Additionally, the leaders sketched out future actions in the fight against climate change. The proposals, which will be collected and sent to all the attendees by the Venezuelan embassy, include environmental justice initiatives that will be implemented over the remaining year and through 2012.
“I think this event was productive. I met people that I didn’t know before. I had been able to make connections and build solidarity on the work that I’m doing and that others are doing. We were able to find commonalities,” said Michele Roberts, Campaign & Policy Coordinator of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights.
Most of the activists who attended this meeting participated in the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, held in April 2010 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, as well as in the UN Framework Conventions on Climate Change, held in Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun in 2010.
According to Roberts, this event, which was co-hosted by the Venezuelan embassy, also allowed environmental activists to join efforts and strategies for a common agenda in the wave of the coming UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Durban, South Africa in late 2011.
“If we are all able to work together, we should be able to go to Durban with folks representing the United States, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Various countries that we’re representing in this space tonight have people right here working in the United States,” added Roberts.
Besides members of the environmental community in Washington, D.C., the event was also attended by leaders of social movements and human rights activists. “We realized that our struggle is bigger than an environmental issue. It is about an issue of saving humanity,” highlighted Roberts.
The deputy chiefs of mission of the embassies of Bolivia and Venezuela, Freddy Bersatti and Angelo Rivero-Santos, also attended the event.
A brief presentation on the experience of Venezuela’s “Mission Tree” was given by Clara Saraí Rodríguez, the Venezuelan embassy’s environmental attaché. Angela Adrar, from the Rural Coalition; Kari Fulton, from ChecktheWeather.TV, Lilian Molina, from the Energy Action Coalition, and Roberts also presented their experiences and work in the environmental struggle, and thanked the embassies of Bolivia and Venezuela for supporting environmental initiatives.
The photo exhibition “Faces of the Harvest,” which documents the participation of the Venezuelan people in activities centered on reforestation and the protection of Venezuelan forests, was also enjoyed by the people who attended the event.
From 2006 to 2010, Mission Tree has created 5,199 conservation committees, groups made up of people from local communities who organize to promote reforestation and to protect the environment. Those conservation committees include the participation of 50,000 people throughout Venezuela. Thirty-four thousand hectares, over 84,000 acres, have been reforested throughout the country, and about 42 million plants have been planted in 3,198 community, school and governmental nurseries.
The event concluded with a concert of musicians Maimouna Yousse, Patricio Zamorano and Vicky Leiva.
Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / April 27, 2011
The “Raise the Bar, Hershey” campaign organized a “brand jamming” contest which invited campaign supporters to create mock taglines, print advertisements and commercial videos that reveal the reality behind Hershey chocolate products. To see more print advertisement submissions click here and for video submissions, check out our YouTube page! Click here to see entries in the slogan category.
Hershey Brand Jamming Contest Winners via Raise the Bar Hershey/Green America
The nation’s largest green consumer living event: Now in Seattle’s Qwest Event Center
Seattle Green Festival May 21-22 at Qwest Event Center
SEATTLE – The premier sustainability event in the nation celebrates 10 years, one million attendees at a new location, Qwest Event Center, May 21-22. This one-of-a-kind weekend experience offers opportunities for community members to meet their favorite authors, actors and community leaders; shop more than 300 eco-friendly exhibitors; participate in educational workshops; enjoy live music and local vegetarian cuisine; and sample organic chocolates, wine and beer.
Ten stages and pavilions host more than 125 inspirational and educational speakers, including Amy Goodman, Jeffrey Smith, John Perkins, Zoe Weil, Dr. David Korten, Dr. Sharif Abdullah and Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
The Green Marketplace showcases more than 300 green and socially-responsible businesses and organizations. Attendees browse everything from non-toxic home products to organic clothing to fair trade treats and décor. Green Festival gives back GF Bucks to individuals who purchase tickets online or at the door. GF Bucks are the local Green Festival currency and can be used the same-as-cash to shop in the Green Marketplace. Discount admission available online until May 20: http://tickets.greenfestivals.org/events/139716.
“Last fall, Green Festival stimulated the green economy by giving back $44,000 to local, regional and national sustainable businesses through the new ‘GF Bucks’ admissions policy,” says Global Exchange and Green Festival Founder, Dr. Kevin Danaher.
Volunteer or donate to various local nonprofits in exchange for complimentary Green Festival admission. Engage with Sierra Club Seattle, Washington State 350, Sound Circle Center, Sustainable Seattle, Solar Washington, International Bicycle Fund, Alleycat Acres, Washington Health Foundation, Community Alliance for Global Justice, Seattle International Film Festival, El Centro de la Raza, Sustainable Wallingford, Transition Seattle, Real Change, feet first, SCALLOPS, Sightline Institute, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Art Affect, Green America, Global Exchange and more to receive free Green Festival tickets. Also, Green America and Global Exchange members always receive free admission to Green Festival.
A joint project of Green America and Global Exchange, two leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to environmental and social justice for more than 27 years, Green Festival inspires and promotes the connection between change and sustainable progress for people, communities and businesses. Green Festivals empowers people to live healthier lives—socially, economically and environmentally.
“Whether you go to shop, learn, try new organic foods or experience art and music, Green Festival has it all, with the goal to motivate every person to think, participate and make more planet-friendly, sustainable choices in their every day lives,” says Green America and Green Festival Founder, Denise Hamler.
Thank you to Corporate Innovators Bon Ami and Ford for their commitment to sustainability. Receive complimentary tickets when you visit your Seattle-area Ford Dealer. Test drive one of Ford’s new green hybrid and electric vehicles right at the Green Festival.
Thank you to Green Festival partners: Hyatt at Olive 8, Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, Herbal Companion, Natural Home, Entercom, AM1090 and KOMO.
Engage with Green Festivals online at www.GreenFestivals.org, www.Facebook.com/GreenFestival and www.Twitter.com/GreenFestival for the latest news about the Seattle Green Festival and additional Green Festivals in 2011. Children under 18 and all volunteers receive free admission. To volunteer, email: volunteer@greenfestivals.org.
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About Green America
Green America is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1982, providing the economic strategies, organizing power and practicing tools for businesses and individuals to address today’s social and environmental problems. Its Green Business Network is the largest national network of businesses screened for their social and environmental responsibility. www.greenamericatoday.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
About Seven-Star, Inc.
Seven-Star, Inc. is the nation’s premier green full-service event company focusing exclusively on green events. Since 1999, Seven-Star has provided turn-key green event services for environmentally Responsible and socially Respectful (eR/sR) festivals, trade and consumer expositions, conferences and concerts. From the greening of the 2007 International Live Earth events, to the 2008 Democratic National Convention events, to producing the nation’s largest consumer Green Festivals, Seven-Star has defined itself as the company for eR/sR event production. Seven-Star is the first event company to have won the EPA’s Gold Waste Wise Award for Excellence in recognition for their proprietary system of event waste diversion, which has consistently achieved greater than 95%.www.sevenstarevents.com