Photo Credit: Howard County Government
At Howard County’s annual GreenFest in Columbia, Md., more than 90 vendors sell sustainable products while denim jeans and computers are recycled, and participants attend workshops on composting, rain-barrel building, and backyard chicken-raising. More than 3,000 gardeners, birders, and recycling enthusiasts attend GreenFest annually.
With Howard Community College’s Burrill Galleria at capacity for several years, GreenFest’s planning committee knows it is doing some things right, although there are two issues that the event’s planners address each year—how to keep attendance up and how to attract individuals not focused on the environment. Hopefully, the tips and tricks shared in this article will inspire you to host your own green-outreach event.
In 2007, when newly elected County Executive Ken Ulman requested an Earth Day Celebration, two departments organized an event that drew over 1,000 people to a parking lot. With less than a month to plan, the departments made the event a success by advertising free document-shredding and specialized recycling services, while offering a dozen vendors with displays as well as a limited supply of free native trees. However, to grow the celebration’s size and scope, a committee that included additional county departments was formed.