Grey To Green Meeting - Thursday, June 19

[irishbobcat]

Youngstown Grey to Green Festival
Wick Park
Youngstown’s north Side
September 13, 2008


Dear Friends:

This is your official invitation to help sponsor an exciting event in Youngstown, OH.
The Grey to Green Festival is the first annual Green Festival in Youngstown, Ohio.  The time is right! Consumer interest in becoming greener has never been higher.   

The festival is to be held on September 13, 2008 in Wick Park on Youngstown’s North Side. The festival will be free and open to the public.  As you may know, Youngstown’s 2010 Plan has a large “Grey to Green” component.  This component is essential to the overall effectiveness of the plan because it provides for protection of the current green space in the city, such as public parks, and also encourages the positive utilization of green space that is created by the shrinkage of the city. (I.e. vacant lots created by demolition).

The Grey to Green Festival committee is a coalition of community organizations which include:  The Green Team, Youngstown Litter Control,  Defend Youngstown, CityScape, ReCreate, Treez Please, Grow Youngstown, First Book Mahoning Valley, the Oakland Center for the Arts, Green Energy TV, Art Youngstown,  the Wick Park Revitalization Committee, The City of Youngstown’s Planning Department, Youngstown State University’s YESS and various faculty and staff from YSU as well as various concerned citizens, block watches, and youth groups.   

The over all goal of the Grey to Green Festival is to increase awareness of environmental issues in general, the grey to green component of the 2010 plan, and the Wick Park Revitalization effort that is currently under way.

The festival will include a fun filled day of family activities, exhibits, events and a “green vending zone” where citizens from the region and the city can learn about the significant opportunities in the green economy and how to improve their overall quality of life by implementing green practices into daily life.

Wick Park will be transformed into a “green world” for the festival.
·   Command Central will be the Pavilion in Wick Park. It is here that those interested in the 2010 Plan and city-wide economic and urban development can learn more.
·   The park there will be exhibits about alternative sources of energy, transportation, local organic food production and importance of being a locavore.
·   There will also be information about recycling, the importance of trees and green space in carbon offsetting, as well as numerous educational exhibits about keeping our world cleaner and safer for all of us. 
·   Recreate (a non â€"profit group that encourages the recycling of building and household goods and materials) will set up an area for drop off of unused items and participants may also take items that they would like home with them.
·   A bicycle repair shop.
·   A Green Market for purchasing a variety of organic, recycled products and products that makes our community and our world more sustainable.
·   And a children’s area where children may be dropped off while their parents enjoy the festival.  The children will be under supervision of staff and the Green Fairy, and will engage in numerous fun and exciting learning activities.
·   Entertainment will be provided throughout the park and will include acoustic performers, Dr. Ray’s Side Show of Science, drummers, dancers, jump ropers, drummers, and clowns.
·   Organic Food will be available for purchase from the Farmers Market and vendors.
·   The festival will also have a guest speaker TBA and several politicians from the area will also be in attendance.
·   Rukus Radio will be transmitting live from the site.

One of the overriding goals of the festival is to “walk our talk” and provide an example of how events can be “green” and produce very little waste.  This event is solution â€"oriented â€" participants can engage in activities meant to enable them to immediately make changes to conserve water or energy and engage in other sustainable practices.   Marketing and promotional materials will use double sided printing on recyclable paper.  Letters and materials sent to participants will clearly state our expectation for environmentally sound policies.  Food Service providers will sell products that come in recyclable, little, or no packaging.  Excess food will be donated to charitable organizations.  Attendees will be encouraged to bring their own bags or purchase one of the festivals reusable bags to be sold as a fundraiser for Wick Park.

This is a not-for-profit festival and there is no charge for admission.  We are currently seeking help from sponsors to cover the costs of putting on the festival.  The Grey to Green Festival Committee believes your sponsorship is a key to our success because of your involvement in the community and your efforts to promote sustainability through example, mission, or product.  We believe that the participants at the festival are among your target audiences.


Dennis Spisak

Committee Member

[kenneyjoe330]

OOOOOOOOO K - - - jay
Now "PRAY" tell us what is this: 'Gray to Green' thing about ? ? ?

[jay]

Grey To Green Meeting

Thursday, June 19
5:00 p.m. Sharp

Conference Room
Youngstown Business Incubator
West Federal Street
Downtown Youngstown