Second Annual Interfaith Green Fair
Sunday, May 1, 2011 (1 – 5 pm)
GFS Science Building
(Get a PDF of this document by clicking here.)
The Germantown Meeting of Friends (Quakers), in cooperation with local faith-based communities and environmental organizations (see list below), will be hosting the Fair this year in the Germantown Friends School Sustainable Urban Science Center, near the corner of West Coulter Street and Germantown Avenue. This building has been certified as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building and was recently given a gold certification.
Exhibits --- Workshops --- Music and Entertainment --- Food --- Fun
This is an opportunity to talk to local experts and find out about resources that can help green your homes and neighborhoods. Come and learn how to:
• Reduce your home energy bills
• Join a community garden and grow some of your own food
• Conserve your own water and help protect the sources of your water
• Invest in socially and environmentally responsible ways
• And more…
ALL ARE WELCOME!!! Admission is Free.
Workshop Schedule
1:00-1:30 Hydro-Fracking in Marcellus Shale and Protecting our Waters – Iris Marie Bloom, Protecting Our Waters (POW), Director. POW is committed to AWE (Air, Water, Earth), all of which are heavily impacted by horizontal hydro-fracking. This session will address serious concerns about the impact of hydro-fracking in Marcellus Shale on public health and the vital systems that support life.
1:30-2:00 Home Cooling Strategies – Tanya Morris, Energy Coordinating Agency, Director of Communication and Outreach. Learn ways to keep cool by saving energy and money with energy efficient improvements such as air sealing, insulation and cool roof coatings which are available through the EnergyWorks, a Department of Energy Program which combines all available rebates, tax credits and low-interest finance options with expert building analyst and approved contractors to make your home more comfortable and save you money.
1:30-2:00 Socially Conscious Investing – Sister Kathleen Coll is a Sister of St. Joseph and the Administrator of Shareholder Advocacy for Catholic Health East (CHE). The workshop will explore significant ways to use investor actions to influence companies. The movement called, Socially Responsible Investing, will be explained and practical applications made.
2:00-2:30 Sustainable Living in NW Philadelphia – An Action Plan to Save Millions – John Ungar, Ogontz Area Revitalization Corporation (OARC), Senior Director of Sustainability and Education. In the Fall of 2010, OARC conducted a sustainability survey of residents in NW Philadelphia to see what sustainable actions were already being implemented and what areas required more outreach. Mr. Ungar will present the survey findings, as well as recommendations that demonstrate how individual actions can save the City millions.
2:30-3:00 Quiet Riot, Bill Mettler, Executive Storyteller, and David Mettler, Person in Charge of Noises and Opportunities. Witness first hand: flying meteors, molten planets, thunder, lightning, burning wheat crops, a raging tsunami, revved-up chain saws, the Flintstones, a fast food hamburger and an imaginary ball point pen. Two brothers, better known as the Quiet Riot, blend storytelling, comedy, music, and sound effects to reveal our true connection to the earth … for what we are doing to the planet we are ultimately doing to ourselves.
3:00-3:30 Panel: Moral Dimensions of the Climate Crisis – Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark, a Sister of Saint Joseph, S.S.J. Earth Center, Director; and Rabbi Arthur Waskow, the Shalom Center, Director; Moderator: Rev. Cheryl Pyrch, Summit Presbyterian Church. This workshop will present two perspectives to help us understand the moral issues involved in global climate change. Rabbi Waskow will speak on “From Pharoah’s Plagues to Planetary Community” and Sr. Mary Elizabeth will address the effects of global climate change on those who are poor and our consumerist lifestyle.
3:30-4:00 Creating Zero Waste Homes – Maurice Sampson, RecycleNOW Campaign, Chair, and Niche Recycling, President. This session will teach participants how to shop and make decisions that support reuse, recycling, and composting for zero waste in your home. The RecycleNOW Campaign is a project of the Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia, a coalition of organizations and individuals working together to promote expanded recycling in Philadelphia in order to improve the environment, economy, and quality of life in our City.
4:00-4:30 Next Great City Initiative – Bryan Collins, PennFuture, Philadelphia Outreach Coordinator. The Next Great City coalition is made up of over 100 civic associations, labor unions, businesses, public health organizations, environmental nonprofits, faith-based organizations and social service groups. Together they are dedicated to creating a positive future for Philadelphia by advocating for common sense cost-effective policies that enhance environmental quality, strengthen neighborhoods, and increase our economic competitiveness.
Other Special Attractions
Music will be provided by Bruce Pollack-Johnson, the Folk Factory.
Chris Paulmier will show how to convert your diesel car to vegetable oil.
Contact: Linda Knapp (lknapp@netreach.net)
Exhibitors
• BioNeighbors Sustainable Green Homes
• Clean Air Council
• Energy Coordinating Agency
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Germantown Friends Meeting Garden Group
• GRID Magazine
• OARC (Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp.)
• PA Horticultural Society
• PA Interfaith Power and Light
• PA Integrated Pest Management Program
• PECO (Philadelphia Electric Co.)
• Pedal Co-op
• PGW (Philadelphia Gas Works)
• Philadelphia Water Department
• Philly Compost
• Philly Green Jobs
• Protecting our Waters
• RecycleNow
• SEPTA
• Shalom Center
• Sisters of St. Joseph Earth Center/Chestnut Hill College
• Tookany Tacony Frankford Watershed Partnership
• Toran Heating and Air Conditioning
• Transition Philadelphia
• UU Church of the Restoration Justice Council
• Weavers Way Coop
Partnering Sponsors
• First Presbyterian Church of Germantown
• Germantown Mennonite Church
• Germantown Friends School
• Green Jobs Philly News
• Green Street Monthly Meeting
• Mishkan Shalom
• Peace & Justice Ministry of St. Vincent’s
• PennFuture
• Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light
• Sisters of St. Joseph Earth Center
• Summit Presbyterian Church
• The Shalom Center
• Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration
• Weavers Way Coop