Moss, Lime and Kiwi

kim_sagami_7149, originally uploaded by fan of mutts.

So it’s been forever—foreva eva—since my last post. The only major update since then? I now know LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a designation that was developed by the US Green Building Council. (Oh—and I ran a marathon). Ask anyone in the PacNW if they know about LEED and they’ll roll their eyes in a “how dumb do you think I am” huff, albeit a conscientious huff. Sad that it took me this long, but indicative of midwestern stubbornness. Most here are still trying on shades of green, unsure if the moss looks better than the kiwi, or if lime is really me. Price points are obviously a factor in this frugal middle delta, along with a don’tknowdon’tcare blind eye towards how extravagant most of our “thrifty” finds really are, when broken down by logistics such as barrels of oil required for shipping.

Eschewing light to medium shades of green, I seem to have jumped headfirst into a vat of non-toxic full-on green. I am currently collaborating with Green Exchange, an innovative and wholeheartedly green project in Chicago. Green businesses and vendors are quickly filling up slots in the Green Exchange’s LEED Platinum-certified renovation of a historic underwear factory in Logan Square. Once completed, Green Exchange will be the largest green community under one roof here in the US. There are even loft spaces (LEED of course) on the top floor for anyone looking to thoroughly cut out the commute. It is going to be truly neat.

So this past weekend it was completely gorgeous out. That teeny wrinkle in time between ass gray rainy weather and 90 degrees with 80% humidity. Living in Chicago is so extreme.

Anyway, the hubby—who is only mildly green, and more of a seasick than an eco-friendly shade, mainly stemming from the oversaturation of green-this and green-that emanating from my yap as of late—must have been in a state of sleep-deprivation (his agency is conducting an experiment to find employees requiring less than 60 seconds of both sleep and sunlight any given day), because he submitted to being dragged down to tourist trap Navy Pier during said gorgeous weather.

That’s right. Instead of lollygagging at the farmer’s market, scoping out flowers at Fertile Gardens, or lazing on our deck with books and cold drinks, we chose to walk around in a giant exhibit hall filled with fluorescent lights in order to check out the Green Festival. I had volunteered to take some photos for the Fest, and also wanted to show some support for A Fresh Squeeze (one of our Green Exchange tenants) since they planned on having a booth there. Being green, we biked there, and after eons of searching we finally found the bike parking.

Lack of organization aside, it must be said that there were some wonderful vendors and booths. Take, for example, Upton’s Naturals (pictured above). Based in Skokie, Upton’s makes delicious vegan Italian seitan sausage and other meat-ish but meat-free products. Ordinarily not a fan of such food, I was taken by their fun branding, free moustaches, and tag line, “The Finest Faux.” It was fun to learn about this homegrown green business, and I found myself wishing there was more of a local presence at the Fest.

Some vendors rose my skeptical eyebrow. For instance, the CTA doling out CTA card carriers. We grabbed them because they were retro-looking and practical, yet we were immediately engulfed with overwhelming made-in-China-vinyl fumes. Can’t imagine those were green in any way, from production to supply chain. Or the booths filled with glossy brochures and coupons that seemed in no way printed with FSC-certified paper or printers. Wouldn’t paperless seem the way to go at a green festival? You would think vendors would know better. I saw garbage bins full of these brochures. Though the festival had recycling bins for plastic, there was nothing for paper.

Despite these hiccups, I was impressed with the overall scene and the roster of speakers they offered. As it is only in its second year, the Green Festival gets points for bringing together such a large green community for just two days in multiple cities.

~ by kysagami on May 18, 2009.