Everyone can celebrate the 10th birthday of the Aurora GreenFest at noon Saturday, Sept. 28 with a green cake! The 10th annual GreenFest will be at Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois, Aurora, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The GreenFest is free and accessible to all, including families.
One famous definition of sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It is what the GreenFest is all about! The GreenFest shows us how to live a fun, happy, life and still leave a sustainable, resilient world for the future.
There will be giveaways! The Aurora GreenFest Greeters’ Booth will issue a copy of the program and a beautiful, free canvas bag with original artwork by artist Chris Hodge of Naperville. Visitors can sign the sustainability pledge at the GreenFest booth and there will be a free reusable silicone straw with its own scrub brush to keep it clean.
Favorite themes include local, organic food; clean, green homes; renewable energy that comes from the sun; cars that run on clean energy; sustainable self-care; and the love and protection of nature. This year there will be “10 Climate Conversations in the Big Tent”, in include renewable energy, recycling, energy efficiency, growing food, an all-electric cars. The list of all of our conversations and a schedule is on the website, www.auroragreenfest.com.
The GreenFest is much more than an annual festival. With the new website there is a directory of green economy in the Fox Valley. The Aurora GreenFest a portal to the businesses and organizations that are making communities greener and building a sustainable future.
The Green Car Show will be the biggest and best ever, including homemade converted vintage electric cars and trucks. There will be kids’ activities for fun and education. Kids are the future. Connecting with nature is one way to teach children and grown-ups to protect the earth. Nature exhibits, featuring bats, eagles, bees, skunks, lizards, turtles, and other creatures are always a big favorite. Live music and food trucks make it a true celebration.
“Aurora has supported the GreenFest all these years because we all want to keep our community sustainable and resilient,” said Mavis Bates, festival founder and chairman. “We love bringing our community together to celebrate our planet.”
Aurora GreenLights, an affiliate of The Conservation Foundation, organizes the festival. The Dunham Fund is the major sponsor of this year’s festival, in accordance with John C. Dunham’s dream of “making the world a more comfortable, safer place for mankind to live and prosper.”
— Aurora GreenFest