Continuing from where we left off yesterday...
11. Ecowood makes hardwood decorations out of old-growth forest. How old are we talking? 400-800 years, apparently! At first reading, this does not sound too eco-friendly to me. Unique, perhaps. I probably should have asked for more details.
12. Of course Mercy For Animals would be at Greenfest. Meat is one of the least-green foods out there for so many reasons. My rebuttal: Is popping pills in capsules that might have gelatin any more natural? I'm all for not treating the animals cruelly, but our teeth say we should be omnivores. It's also harder to get the necessary nutrients when you're allergic to nuts (TAUNT TAUNT TAUNT).
13. The Zeitgeist Movement was one of the more intriguing booths this time around. Their premise is, basically, that even though we have the technology to solve all our problems, we do not use it to those ends. Our tech outdates our culture. We're still thinking as if we don't have the technology when we do. They gave me DVDs, so I'll probably watch them after that last final.
14. Ohhhhh man, have I wanted to do a spot on aquaponics for a while! The pipes going from the fish tank to the plants are basically turning the tilapia's, ah, waste products (particularly nitrogen) into fertilizer for the plants above. The siphoning helps keep the water clean and grows the plants. It was also one of the rare times I got to see tilapia alive instead of on the plate - hey, farm-grown fish, too!
15. There was a less-mongering booth than MFA advocating sustainable farming. The Meatrix was back (I love that movie - it should get its own spot on this blog sometime) and I got swag from that. There was also a red angus cattle farmer from Missouri. Not too far from me, that place.
Also, did you know that pigs build nests for their young? I didn't until I saw this booth. D'awwww.
16. For those of us who have pets, ecologically-friendly pet toys are a thing! Honest Pet Products has all sorts of things for cats and dogs (although sustainable cat litter was at another booth). The pink fabric mouse I got for Styxie was made by women in Mongolia. I wonder where that mouse went?
17. Hydroponics is a neat way of growing plants quickly without taking up too much space. Strawberries apparently grow very well this way, but you have to keep picking them. Not a problem. The 400+ setup fee is.
18. There was a booth dedicated to earth, wind, and solar-powered energy sources. Right next to them was a booth that only did wind. Me, I'm a solar fan; the sun's going to be around for a very long time, so we'll have energy for a bit without killing bats via air suction. Anywho, had I been in any position to sign up for alternative energy, I might have. ComEd has...nasty sources.
19. I took a little walk down "green beauty row," a section devoted to ecologically-friendly beauty products. Some were believable, like lotions and lip glosses; others I am not so sure of. I'm wary of thinning 'strips' that promise miracle results after one use. I'll buy detoxification. Anything else is pushing it.
20. Ever wonder what shea butter looks like when it's not blended into other things? Well...that. Mind, that's a lot of shea butter. It actually comes from a small nut grown in Western Africa. That 'shell' is African cookware. I would have bought something, but experience has taught me that almonds are not the only nuts I'm allergic to.
21. These wipes were biodegradable, but that was not their main appeal. They come in this neat little tablet form about the size of a LifeSaver, if not a little smaller. Just add water to get an instant handwipe! (I tried to get a video, but it failed miserably.) If you got a whole bag full (50 tablets for 5 bucks - not bad), you also got a little carrying case in which you could pop out a tablet with bleach or what have you ready and waiting. Yep, I got one.
22. Sweet Beginnings was one of the five or so counters selling products from their own bee farm. They didn't just have honey - there was a whole mom's day gift basket containing other goodies made from honey, too. For the record, their honey goes amazingly well with Stash green-white fusion tea. I will buy from them again if I get the chance!
23. B3T - Books, Bottles, & Bulbs Terrariums - was probably one of my favorite booths at the whole festival. The owner of this one will be getting her own Bio-Art post tomorrow, so no spoilers!
...and there was even more where that came from! I was trying to be ambitious and do 15 instead of 10, but alas, sleep calls. One of the booths will receive extra-special coverage in my Bio-Art post tomorrow, then I'll go back to blogging the other events. Look forward to it!
11. Ecowood makes hardwood decorations out of old-growth forest. How old are we talking? 400-800 years, apparently! At first reading, this does not sound too eco-friendly to me. Unique, perhaps. I probably should have asked for more details.
12. Of course Mercy For Animals would be at Greenfest. Meat is one of the least-green foods out there for so many reasons. My rebuttal: Is popping pills in capsules that might have gelatin any more natural? I'm all for not treating the animals cruelly, but our teeth say we should be omnivores. It's also harder to get the necessary nutrients when you're allergic to nuts (TAUNT TAUNT TAUNT).
13. The Zeitgeist Movement was one of the more intriguing booths this time around. Their premise is, basically, that even though we have the technology to solve all our problems, we do not use it to those ends. Our tech outdates our culture. We're still thinking as if we don't have the technology when we do. They gave me DVDs, so I'll probably watch them after that last final.
14. Ohhhhh man, have I wanted to do a spot on aquaponics for a while! The pipes going from the fish tank to the plants are basically turning the tilapia's, ah, waste products (particularly nitrogen) into fertilizer for the plants above. The siphoning helps keep the water clean and grows the plants. It was also one of the rare times I got to see tilapia alive instead of on the plate - hey, farm-grown fish, too!
15. There was a less-mongering booth than MFA advocating sustainable farming. The Meatrix was back (I love that movie - it should get its own spot on this blog sometime) and I got swag from that. There was also a red angus cattle farmer from Missouri. Not too far from me, that place.
Also, did you know that pigs build nests for their young? I didn't until I saw this booth. D'awwww.
16. For those of us who have pets, ecologically-friendly pet toys are a thing! Honest Pet Products has all sorts of things for cats and dogs (although sustainable cat litter was at another booth). The pink fabric mouse I got for Styxie was made by women in Mongolia. I wonder where that mouse went?
17. Hydroponics is a neat way of growing plants quickly without taking up too much space. Strawberries apparently grow very well this way, but you have to keep picking them. Not a problem. The 400+ setup fee is.
18. There was a booth dedicated to earth, wind, and solar-powered energy sources. Right next to them was a booth that only did wind. Me, I'm a solar fan; the sun's going to be around for a very long time, so we'll have energy for a bit without killing bats via air suction. Anywho, had I been in any position to sign up for alternative energy, I might have. ComEd has...nasty sources.
19. I took a little walk down "green beauty row," a section devoted to ecologically-friendly beauty products. Some were believable, like lotions and lip glosses; others I am not so sure of. I'm wary of thinning 'strips' that promise miracle results after one use. I'll buy detoxification. Anything else is pushing it.
20. Ever wonder what shea butter looks like when it's not blended into other things? Well...that. Mind, that's a lot of shea butter. It actually comes from a small nut grown in Western Africa. That 'shell' is African cookware. I would have bought something, but experience has taught me that almonds are not the only nuts I'm allergic to.
21. These wipes were biodegradable, but that was not their main appeal. They come in this neat little tablet form about the size of a LifeSaver, if not a little smaller. Just add water to get an instant handwipe! (I tried to get a video, but it failed miserably.) If you got a whole bag full (50 tablets for 5 bucks - not bad), you also got a little carrying case in which you could pop out a tablet with bleach or what have you ready and waiting. Yep, I got one.
22. Sweet Beginnings was one of the five or so counters selling products from their own bee farm. They didn't just have honey - there was a whole mom's day gift basket containing other goodies made from honey, too. For the record, their honey goes amazingly well with Stash green-white fusion tea. I will buy from them again if I get the chance!
23. B3T - Books, Bottles, & Bulbs Terrariums - was probably one of my favorite booths at the whole festival. The owner of this one will be getting her own Bio-Art post tomorrow, so no spoilers!
...and there was even more where that came from! I was trying to be ambitious and do 15 instead of 10, but alas, sleep calls. One of the booths will receive extra-special coverage in my Bio-Art post tomorrow, then I'll go back to blogging the other events. Look forward to it!
Zeitgeist? Best to take everything they say with quite an unhealthy dose of salt.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great day, though!
Like the wipes. Do you know if they're available on line?
ReplyDeleteAre you trying to compare the unncessary confinement, mutilation and slaughter of 10 billion animals per year to the byproduct of gelatin? Totally incomparable... Also, I know many vegetarians and vegans that are allergic to nuts, and some of them are even athletes.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to agree with MFA, but your arguments for being against them are hollow.