From our friends at the Green Festival Expo...
Largest and Longest-Running Sustainability and Green Living Expo Returns to Washington, DC, June 5-7
Green Festival Expo to Bring Together Influential Speakers and Entrepreneurs at Washington, DC Convention Center
Green Festivals, Inc. today announced that it will return to Washington, DC, June 5-7. Now in its 11th year in the nation’s capital, the Green Festival Expo is attended by more than 20,000 Washington-area residents and offers a vibrant, dynamic marketplace for innovative green products and services.
In celebration of the United Nations World Environment Day on June 5th, Washingtonians will have an opportunity to discover new, practical and easy ways to live healthier, more sustainable lives at Green Festival Expo with thousands of products offered by new brands, national and local businesses and pioneering thinkers in the sustainability field. “The Green Festival provides an outstanding opportunity for entrepreneurs, business leaders and citizens to discover innovative practices for clean energy,” said Virginia Governor Terence McAuliffe in his letter of support. The Green Festival Expo Washington, D.C. will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW.
“Green Festival is ecstatic to be back in Washington, DC for our 11th Expo and we’re thrilled to welcome our 2015 exhibitors, sponsors, partners and attendees to the Washington Convention Center,” said Dr. Corinna Basler, president of Green Festivals, Inc. “This year we are honored to not only be offering a wider selection of green and sustainable products and services, but we are happy to announce that our expo will be operating on clean energy through our new partnership with Arcadia Power.”
Founded in early 2014, Arcadia Power is the first company to give customers and businesses across the country a simple way to choose clean energy. As a Green Festival partner and exhibiting sponsor, Arcadia Power will purchase clean energy on the grid to match Green Festival’s usage through power purchase agreements, ensuring that an equal amount of energy is produced at pollution-free renewable facilities through Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Moreover, SustainaFest, a local sustainability-focused non-profit, will be introducing their student-built Tiny House on the floor of the Green Festival Expo to highlight the many, simply ways to live a more sustainable life. For the first time, WGL Energy - a leader in environmentally-friendly energy technology - will also be on-site at the Green Festival Expo. Also as an extension of Green Festivals’ commitment to being a zero-waste event, free admission will be offered to those who arrive by bicycle to Washington Convention Center.
At this year’s Expo, Green Festival will offer opportunities for consumers to learn about and test ride new products and services that make travel easier, healthier and more sustainable. Green Transportation industry leaders like Washington DC BMW Centers, a Gold Sponsor, and Mid-Atlantic Ford, a Green Sponsor, will be on-site to display a variety of eco-friendly, electric cars. For the first time at the DC Green Festival Expo, the Washington DC BMW Centers will present the BMW i brand, which is defined by electrifying performance, efficiency, and style. Green Festival attendees will be able to test drive the BMW i3, winner of the 2014 World Green Car of the Year Award. Additionally, BMW will promote their i5 and i8 vehicles at the Convention Center. Leading ride-sharing company, Zipcar, will also be an exhibitor at the festival to spotlight Americans’ changing view on sustainable transportation. Eco-friendly travel continues to be an expanding category at Green Festivals around the country, with Volkswagen and Audi providing test drives at all three fall expos as Platinum Sponsors.
For 2015, Green Festival will once again host the Green Festival Brand and Community Awards. Consumers and the public are now invited to vote online at Greenfestivals.org for their favorite brands. Through the Brand Award, Green Festival recognizes a leading innovator in sustainable business whose products are transforming the lives of consumers every day. Anyone who votes for their favorite green brands will be eligible for the chance to win the Super Green Shopper Prize, a gift basket of premium green products donated by exhibitors at Green Festival Expo. Additionally, Green Festival has officially started accepting applications online from Washington DC community organizations for the Community Award, which will provide a $5,000 grant to a local nonprofit using sustainable practices to improve the community.
In June, Green Festival Washington DC attendees can discover and buy new sustainable and green products and services that appeal to everyone, from more than 200 sponsors and exhibitors from fashion, body care, home and garden to transportation and renewable energy. Attendees will also be able to enjoy vegan, vegetarian, organic foods, hands-on demos, educational activities and learn from inspirational speakers. The expo will have pavilions and green-theme stages, such as the DC Department of Parks and Recreation and Savers Family Fun Pavilion with interactive educational activities and entertainment for kids; the Yoga Pavilion, featuring free yoga instruction and classes sponsored by Embrace Yoga; and the Green Festival Stage and Lifestyle Pavilion featuring green business entrepreneurs, community leaders and environmental experts. The DC Department of Parks and Recreation provides urban gardens, summer activities and local sustainable outreach programs across the district.
Current programs and speakers confirmed for Washington include:
• Pay It Forward Labs will host their ‘Expert DOJO’ mentoring sessions with leaders in the sustainable business industry, who either own/owned or have been high-level executives in multi-million dollar businesses.
• Antonio Saillant, actor, director and screenwriter, activist in greening the film industry
• Genna Reed, researcher for DC-based organization, Food & Water Watch
• Leslie Durso, vegan chef, appeared on The Food Network, Discovery Channel
• Mark Chambers, sustainability & energy management director at the DC Department of General Services
• Sally Parker, energy and sustainability liaison at District of Columbia Public Schools
• Tim Keating, executive director of Rainforest Relief
Green Festival was established in 2002 by Green America and Global Exchange, two pioneering nonprofit organizations involved in sustainable economy and social justice issues, as the first major event for companies, organizations and consumers committed to sustainability. In collaboration with Green America and Global Exchange, Green Festival has joined forces with Messe Stuttgart, a leading international trade show organizer producing Europe’s largest consumer show on sustainability, green products and fair trade. Headquartered in Germany, Messe Stuttgart brings extensive business-to-business trade show experience to Green Festival with a long-standing commitment to sustainability.
Doors open on Friday, June 5, and the expo will run through Sunday at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Mt. Vernon Square. The best subway stop is the Mt. Vernon Sq./7th St-Convention Center. Tickets can be purchased online at www.greenfestivals.org. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the show. Youth aged 16 and under are granted free admission. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more, students, seniors and active military/veterans. All tickets provide access to exhibit floor, workshops, speakers and films and sampling.
In addition to Washington DC Expo, this year Green Festival is taking place in Los Angeles (September 25-27), San Francisco (November 13-15) and the newest addition Portland, Oregon (December 11-13). Exhibitor booth sales, for the 2016 Green Festival Expo, will also be available at the start of this year’s event. Green Festival sponsors and partners include Volkswagen, Audi, Washington DC BMW Centers, Mid-Atlantic Ford, MOM’s Organic Market, Savers, WGL Energy, Vacation Reservation Center, Arcadia Power, Earth Balance, Natural Awakenings DC, Vegetarian Society of DC, Embrace Yoga DC, Busboys and Poets Restaurants, We Act Radio 103.1, WPFW Pacifica Radio 89.3FM, Washington Gardener Magazine, Pathways Magazine, GoDCGo and the DC Department of Parks & Recreation. National partners include Expert DOJO, Organic Spa Magazine, The Nation, Natural Solutions Magazine, Sierra Club, Green is Good Radio, Experience Life Magazine, Happy Cow, Epoch Times, Positive Impact Magazine, The Organic & Non-GMO Report, Women’s Acrobat Radio, and Book Publishing Company.
More information about Green Festival can be found at www.greenfestivals.org. For news and updates, follow Green Festival on Facebook and Twitter @GreenFestival.
About Green Festivals:
Green Festivals, Inc. organizes Green Festival, America’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event. Green Festival Expo is a vibrant, dynamic marketplace where companies and organizations come to showcase their green products, services and programs, and where people go to learn how to live healthier, more sustainable lives. Green Festival is inspiring and empowering consumers, communities and businesses to work green, play green and live green. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, the organization produces Green Festival Expo events in Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Washington DC. Learn more at www.greenfestivals.org.
