The Second Annual Green Earth Festival is coming to Phoenixville on the Schuylkill River Trail on Sat., August 6 from 9am to 2pm.
The festival will celebrate area businesses and service groups that are working to make Phoenixville a sustainable community. Locals are invited to come out and see how easy it is to incorporate even small changes that have a big impact on their nearby community. Organized by the Phoenixville Green Team, in association with the Phoenixville Farmer’s Market, the festival–in conjunction with Saturday’s farmers’ market–will stretch along the creek side trail from Taylor Ave to the Foundry.
The event will feature exhibitors, food, music, children’s entertainment and a Speaker Forum. The first GoodGreenWorks project will additionally be featured, inviting locals to bring good clothing and shoes to the Clothing Swap and Shoe Drop. The Clothing Swap, managed by LuLu Boutique & Gifterie, is a great way to clean out your closets and contribute to repurposing items that are still in great shape. All left over clothing will be donated to local charities. The Shoe Drop, organized by Busy Bee Organizing Solutions, will accept all kinds of shoes, including boots and sandals, to be donated to Soles4Souls, who recycle and distribute shoes to developing countries and to areas hit by disasters.
The Speakers Forum will feature presentations on solar energy, energy audits, recycling, the New American Garden, Time Bank, sustainable business development, local bike trail updates, and for the kids — a book reading and discussion on “10 Things I Can Do to Help My World.”
Participating exhibitors will specialize in eco-friendly products, renewable energy, earth-friendly services, environmental advocacy, and organizations that are making a difference by protecting the environment and building a sustainable and maintainable local economy.
Entertainment will include music and public art projects that everyone can join in. Artist young and old will be able to decorate the trail with your own chalk sidewalk art masterpiece. Come down and get brown by adding your inspiration to the Green Man and Wild Woman wall sculptures. Two large clay panels will be created by clay artist, John Matthews, to jump-start this public art creation. An educational exhibit will highlight endangered plant and animal species in PA. The public will be encouraged to participate by sculpting one of these plant or animal forms to contribute to the work. The wall panels will be fired and installed locally.
Free bike rentals will be available on the trail through Phoenix Cycles as part of the Bike Schuylkill – Phoenixville program. The Schuylkill River Heritage Corridor and the Green Team sponsor this program so that people can explore the town and local trails on two wheels. A one hour guided bike tour to the Black Rock Dam Fish Ladder will start at noon.
The Phoenixville Green Team is a volunteer committee of the Phoenixville Main Street Community Development Corporation (CDC). Their mission is to advocate for a greener Phoenixville that preserves the environment and promotes sustainable lifestyles and businesses. They meet monthly to develop and report on local green initiatives and also sponsor an informative free forum at Molly Maguires Irish Pub & Restaurant. The presentations provide interesting information and free flowing discussion. Best of all, attendees get to meet other Phoenixville folks interested in exploring and advocating local sustainable and environmental ways to live and work green.
The Green Team has active projects pursuing the following goals:
- Brownfield Remediation
- Public Transit / Walkability / Biking
- Natural Resource and Water Conservation
- Waste and Recycling
- Energy Conservation / Renewable Energy
- Buy Local
For more information on Saturday’s Green Earth Festival, visit phoenixvillegreencommunity.org.
