Seattle Green Festival this Weekend!

Get ready, because the Seattle Green Festival is this weekend, May 21-22 at Qwest Event Center!

Discounted tickets are still available online. The deadline for you to purchase your discount online tickets is Friday May 20th at 5pm PST. You can also purchase your tickets at the box office on Saturday and Sunday.

Ride your bike and use the Bike Valet, or take public transportation for discounted admission at the door! Students with ID and seniors also receive discounted admission. All Green America, Global Exchange and Sierra Club members get in free, as well as all city, state and federal government employees!  Visit your local Seattle Area Ford Dealer to receive complimentary Green Festival admission! A list of participating dealerships is available on the Green Festival Facebook Page.

There are so many new and exciting activities to be on the lookout for at Green Festival. Here are just a few highlights:

Test drive a Ford electric and hybrid vehicle at the festival! Vehicles will be ready on the sidewalk for you to drive outside of Qwest Event Center on Saturday and Sunday. Head to the Ford Pavilion to learn about their new lineup of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, and while you’re there, vote for your favorite finalist in the running the receive a $5,000 Community Green Grant! Your vote will decide the winner and the grant will be presented in a special award ceremony on Sunday May 22^nd at 3 pm.

Scan the QR Code with your smart phone or iPad's free QR Code Reader app to download and browse the Green Festival Event Guide. These codes will also be posted on site around the box office.

Be sure to check out the Green Products Showcase in the lobby. These are some of the newest and coolest green products to be on the lookout for on the festival floor. Be sure to grab your reusable bag and stock it full of organic and Fair Trade treats, green non-toxic products and useful information! Also, don’t forget to spend your GF Bucks on Fair Trade items and foods, fabulous eco-wear, organic body care products and much more in the one-and-only Green Festival Marketplace!

The weekend kicks off with a welcome song and prayer from the Muckleshoot Tribe, followed by opening remarks by Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith. Then, join celebrate author, board chair of YES! Magazine and local favorite, David Korten, as he offers a structural redesign of our money system based on new policies, institutions and accountability. Other must-see keynote speakers include Bainbridge Graduate Institute co-founder Gifford Pinchot, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, ex-economic hitman John Perkins, HipHop Caucus founder and inspiring activist Rev Yearwood, HGTV star Shannon Quimby, Congressman Dennis Kuchinich and many more!

Head to the Green Kids' Zone and check out the Waldorf Active Kids Area! Make yourself a wandering tail with the Wilderness Awareness School and shake your tail feathers in the Green Kids' Parade with Flow the Water Woman and Aquaman, Saturday and Sunday at 3:30 pm.

On Sunday at 3 pm, don’t miss Seattle Councilman Mike O’Brien moderating a panel of local green jobs experts discussing the green movement holistically, with opportunities for the city to engage and understand how we can create more green jobs in Seattle. Panel members will help us understand how Seattle can create opportunities for historically underserved communities in the city—communities of color, low-income communities, and immigrant and refugee communities. This panel will truly reflect the Seattle community and will be an enlightening experience for individuals from all over Seattle.

Find out how easy and fun remodeling and redecorating your green home can be at the Green Building and Renewable Energy Pavilion! Demonstrations and hands-on workshops in building, redecorating and installing renewable energy sources will occur in the Green Building Demo Area. HGTV’s Shannon Quimby will be on hand Saturday at 1:30 pm for a fun eco-lifestyle presentation full of unique and cost-effective ideas to turn household junk into beautiful home designs.

Unleash your creative side at the Art, Music and Culture Stage. Help local youth nonprofit, the Art Affect, build a recycled tree, create musical instruments using recyclables, personalize a graffiti wall, host a beat-box competition and more! Put on your dancing shoes for a fiddle jam and song circle hosted by the Seattle Folklore Society. Create a piece of live art while learning about the environment with the City of Seattle, and make a pledge to kick the disposable cup habit and go reusable with New World Habit.

Feel your tummy grumbling? Head over to the Organic Vegetarian Food Court for delicious local cuisine from Tiny’s Organic, Big City Burrito, Athena’s Gyros and more! While you are getting your fill, check out the music stage for performances by a variety of local performing artists. Then, spend Happy Hour sampling organic beers and wines at the Organic Beer and Wine Garden.

Special thanks to Green Festival speakers, exhibitors, corporate innovators, partners, nonprofit allies, volunteers, staff and attendees whose inspiring personalities make each Green Festival a wonderful success.

Don't forget to keep up with Green Festival live all weekend on Facebook and Twitter @GreenFestival.

This weekend, grab your friends, family and co-workers and head on down to Seattle Green Festival to celebrate solutions for healthier lives—socially, economically and environmentally!