What do you think of the Green Festivals?
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 10.31.05
Since thousands in the US have attended a Green Festival in DC or San Francisco over the last three years, there is a good chance that many of our treehugging readers have checked it out. The next San Francisco event is coming up next weekend, November 5th and 6th, and we thought it would be fun to hear your thoughts.
There are many possible ways of looking at the Green Festival, but we'll focus on two. First, it can be seen the way it is promoted:
"The Green Festival is a movement-building event creating a physical space where environmental and social justice partner in generating economic stability and vitality. [...] Consumers, in all shades of green, will have an unlimited opportunity to shop their conscience and “vote with their dollars” as they either begin to or further embrace the change to healthier, greener ways of living and a thriving green economy."
There is no question that we are indebted to co-sponsors Co-op America and The Global Exchange for making it easier for all of us to find green and fair trade products in our daily lives, let alone at these events. The organizers take great pains to minimize all of the waste and resource use associated with having so many people scamper to one place. They acknowledge, however, that they cannot obscure their footprint and hope that all of the new green and just economy ties forged at the Festivals will compensate. The amount of information and resources found in one place during the Festivals is astounding. From composting workshops, to inspiring speakers, to Dagoba chocolate samples: there's a lot going on.
This is all dandy if you are already a "green" or "ethical" consumer, which brings us to the second perspective: the Green Festivals are wasteful and preach to the choir. It makes sense for businesses to want to connect with targeted consumers who will buy a product because it is green. Attendees have to already want the information to drive or fly to one of these events. But what about all of those who would potentially be into social justice and environmental issues but don't see themselves spending a weekend day at something that's called "green" (out of preconceptions that they will encounter patchouli or drum circles, for instance)?
Also, once there, if they decide to go to a talk by Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin or Jim Hightower, aren't they already among the "converted"? Is this movement building, or reinforcing a Left feedback loop?
We would love to hear your thoughts. What has your Green Festival experience been like? Are the Festivals just fine the way they are, reaching their target audiences? Does the continued focus on the green market distract from creating products that are healthy and designed for a wider appeal? Can we imagine less resource intensive, but as effective, means of reaching and/or educating people in their own communities (whether or not they consider themselves "green")? If it was up to you, what would you name the events?
...i've been to close to a hundred green conferences(everything from solarhome shows to the UNFCCC). There is no other conference i've been to that comes close to GreenFestivals in terms of bring ing people together and empowering the grassroots. Sure, it is a little for the converted-- and perhaps there can be a wing of the fest that is more incluisive to the newbies as this whole thing gets more and more popular... but whatever you do, don't loose the magic!
From sitting on the floor with a hundred others watching Ben Cohen explain our capital management withhis patented live-cookie-examples, to eating from an ARRAY of tantalizing organic and live-food godies, to dancing my ass off to an amazing selection of DJs and earth-centric VJs. And of course the relaxed inclusive setting that made it all the more east to connect with allies and peers... this was by far the best festival experience i coudl have hoped for, and look forward to attening very many more.....
thanks for making this all possible!!
I agree with the previous commenter. The festivals are about empowerment. They 1) remind us that we're not alone, and introduce us to other like-minded folks. 2) Provide further ammunition for those of us in the field (so to speak) trying to open up minds. 3) It's also a forum for treehuggers to introduce their not so tree-hugging friends to practical products and ideas. I've got several halfway friends interested in going next year.
GreenFestival is an effective way of keeping the movement going.
The festivals are great places to take your non-green friends to, as well as a wonderful opportunity to network with other like-minded folks. I wouldn't miss 'em for the world!
We at Co-op America read the posts about Green Festivals and wanted to share our thoughts and experience with the festivals thus far. We’re in our third year, with tens of thousands of attendees. It’s been a great experience for us.
From our surveys of attendees, we’ve learned that the Green Festivals attract a broad array of people -- from committed social and environmental activists to people with just a passing interest in organics or alternative energy, as well as people of different ages and races.
This was our intention: the Green Festivals are promoted through both alternative and mainstream media outlets to encourage a broad spectrum of attendees. The tagline for the Festivals is “celebrating what is working in our communities," and we hope to include everyone in our communities. We try to have speakers, activities, and vendors that appeal to a broad range of people. We’re seeking true diversity in attendees: across race, class, age, political perspectives, etc.
For people committed to environmental and social justice issues – we hope that they are recharged in their activist work. For people who are just learning about these issues, they can go at their own pace -- taking in sessions, films, and visiting vendors that interest them. We've learned from the tens of thousands of attendees that they appreciate the fact that there is something for everyone at the Green Festivals. We’ve also improved the Festivals based on attendee feedback from each year. So please share with us what you think of Green Festivals, and please attend the Festival in San Francisco on November 5-6 – just a few days away!
Todd Larsen
Managing Director
Co-op America
todd@coopamerica.org