July 6, 2026
Dear editor;
The 2026 Aurora Greenfest was a huge success. I hope you were among the more than 1,000 people who came to learn more about sustainability and how to care for the environment. For the first time, the Greenfest was held at the site of the former Scitech Children’s Museum, the beautiful and historic building right in the heart of downtown Aurora. Everybody loved putting that old building to good use—now that is sustainable! The festivities included over 100 vendors and exhibits, live music, and local cultural attractions.
The Greenfest began in 2010 and is the longest-running environmental festival in Illinois. 2026 was the first year that the City of Aurora became our partner, helping to make this the best Greenfest ever. Every year, we have been proud of our vendors from every sector of sustainability, including conservation organizations like The Conservation Foundation and Sierra Club, solar panel experts, master gardeners, and local artists, all coming to the Greenfest to share their talents.
The Greenfest has meant different things to different people. Linda Seyler, tabling for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, talked with almost 200 visitors, including many kids, who were especially interested in the mating habits of lightning bugs! “They need darkness to find each other and spend 90% of their lives in the soil, so we need to protect lightning bugs, even when they are in the ground, from harsh fertilizers and pesticides.”
Linda Cole, tabling for Sierra Club Valley of the Fox Group in Kane and Kendall Counties, helped kids make seed bombs while their parents learned about Sierra Club’s lobbying and conservation efforts. According to Ms. Cole, “The kids couldn’t wait to go home and toss the seed bombs into the garden.” She said that after the Greenfest, she and her sister went out for lunch in downtown Aurora, proving that the Greenfest was a boon to the downtown economy, too.
Emily Beau is a local massage therapist and owner of Zen Loft. She said, “It was great, well attended. The food was great, and the music was awesome. It was especially meaningful to have the cultural dancing, including the Aztec Dancers and the 40 Plus Double Dutch Club, represent Aurora’s diversity. The Zumba was fun, too.”
We had several local solar developers. Adam Perri of Windfree Solar said he had a great time and picked up several leads. “It was fun to get to visit with other people in our industry, along with residential customers. We got especially busy when the birds of prey showed up next to our booth. Then we got the crowds. Thank you to the Greenfest committee for this great opportunity.” Mr. Perri said that another Switch Together group buy program will be coming out soon, which is a great chance to buy solar for your home through reputable solar installers already approved by the Citizens Utility Board.
Kristina Murphy from the Chicagoland Green Chamber enjoyed meeting like-minded people. She shared information on “bring your own container”, compostable foodware alternatives, and how the Green Chamber supports workforce development. Kris said, “People really appreciated the plastic-free dishwasher detergent tabs to try at home.”
The Greenfest committee wants to thank all of our vendors, sponsors, volunteers, visitors, and the City of Aurora for making the 2026 Greenfest such a great day.
Mavis Bates, founder and chair, Aurora Greenfest