New Haven Independent

I received a proposition from Coleen Campbell a few months ago: Exchange an ad on my website for the chance to share a table with Nathan Bixby of Havens for the Future at the CT Green Expo, which took place last Sunday on the quad at Southern Connecticut State University.

Not only was I honored to share a table with Nathan, but I was also welcomed the opportunity to be listed as an in-kind donor in the CT Folk Festival and Green Expo program.

The Green Expo takes place every year in conjunction with the Connecticut Folk Festival, and this year’s included about 90 exhibitors and vendors who shared in a day focused on promoted solutions available today for clean energy, green transportation, good food, clean air and water, waste reduction, and sensible residential living. Also, CT Folk Festival performers Scott Kessel, Sally Rogers and Pierce Campbell performed and entertained children in the grass.

On the one hand, the Green Expo is a great networking opportunity for all who attended.

Personally I made a point of making the rounds to, I think, every exhibitor and vendor and asking myself, “Would this organization be interested in my environmental news headlines service? Do I think it could help them? Do I think they might be able to help me promote it?).

One of the many things I took away was that you can get those spiral CFL light bulbs online from SmartLiving for about $1.50 apiece. Newington-based People’s Products offers HR40 windows the company can guarantee in writing will save homeowners more than 40 percent energy savings.

On the other hand, the Green Expo is an eye-opening event to any one of the hundreds of visitors who happen to read about it in the Folk Festival program or just happen through on their way to the student center parking lot with their skateboard.

Both elements embody the Green Expo’s mission of 1) Educating the community about myriad solutions to today’s environmental and energy problems and 2) Promoting opportunities to support long-term community and planetary health and well being.

This year’s theme of “One Planet, Many Choices” was played out through the wide variety of non-profit groups, state and local agencies, and businesses - from Connecticut Fund for the Environment to the Backpack Project for Darfur, which was raising money to help hungry and frightened children in the Oure Cassoni refugee camp in Chad attend schools run by the International Rescue Committee.

Speakers addressed subjects including the cycle of recycling (Laura Turlington of Price Turlington Architects), creating sustainable communities (Bob Wall of Connecticut Clean Energy Fund), the promise of community-based environmental management (Brendan Hanrahan of CTEarthNet), getting results in protecting Connecticut’s environment (Curt Johnson of Connecticut Fund for the Environment), biofuels in Connecticut (Gus Kellogg of Greenleaf Biofuels), connecting communities through farmer’s markets (Elise Cusano of City Seed). Workshops covered such subjects as greening your home, home gardening and composting. Movies included “The Farmer’s Voice,” “The Connecticut Plan to Fight Global Warming,” “Story of Stuff,” “Independent America,” “Rivers and Tides,” and “Future of Food” - many available for viewing online. All-day events included book, sneaker and CD recycling, a giant green Earth ball, which took written comments from people about its current state and their feelings toward it, electric cars, hybrid taxis, biofuel demonstrations, a compost labyrinth and more.

Other exhibitors included CT EarthNet, CT Green Party, CTGreenScene, the Connecticut Science Center, CT Voters Count, Hamden Recycling, Havens for the Future, the New Haven Land Trust, ReConnStruction Center of New Britain - a building materials and re-use store, the South Center Connecticut Regional Water Authority, the Sierra Club, Two Coyotes Wilderness School, WPKN, Sterling Planet, United
Illuminating, and of course CT Environmental Headlines.

SCSU President Cheryl J. Norton has assured the community that the Green Expo is welcome to visit the campus for future events and organizers have discussed that the quad has room for many more exhibitors and vendors than the 90 who attended this year.

If you’re an environmentally minded individual or an organization or vendor with environmentally friendly products to pedal and you missed it this year, make plans now to attend next year and contact Coleen Campbell at davact@aol.com.