Sustainability Week aims to inform
By Megan Krause, Campus Life writer
October 2, 2007 | 8:50 p.m.
Sustainability Week began this weekend with the seventh annual Athens Area Sustainability Festival. Presentations and workshops on sustainable living, or environmental responsibility, were the main event. Other events sponsored by Ohio University and the community will continue throughout the week.
The 2007 Sustainability Festival
The theme of this year’s festival was “Local Food Security and the Local Food Economy.” John Knouse, a member of the festival coordinating committee, said that the theme was chosen because of the Athens Farmers Market going through changes, chain restaurants opening in Athens and gas prices rising.
“This is an issue area that’s close to our hearts and that we care a lot about so we figured it was an appropriate area for this year,” Knouse said.
The festival included presentation topics by Community Food Initiatives, ReUse Industries, Rural Action, Socially Responsible Investing and recycling pickup, among others.
One big change in the festival this year was the location. In the past, the festival has been held on the Athens County Fairgrounds. This year it was held at East State Street Park. Knouse said the festival did not feel welcome at the fairgrounds and that the sustainability groups would not be able to make the progress they wanted to make if they held it there.
“Another issue was that we couldn’t move the festival to the date we wanted,” he added.
Changing the venue also meant more costs, which included buying water and renting portable bathrooms.
Festival takes steps to be environmentally friendly
Displayed near a tent was a bike-like contraption with a sign that read, “Life is better leg-powered” and “That magical fire-water stuff isn’t a permanent commodity.” The sign was marked with RETA, or renewable energy transportation alternative.
The festival committee made a point to respect the environment by using solar energy as much as possible. However, they were limited by resources.
“Our only good solar resource is the solar trailer, which at least will power the stage,” Knouse said. Next year the festival hopes to be able to use more environmentally-friendly energy.
OU students get involved
Some environmentally aware students went beyond attending the festival and volunteered. Knouse said there were about 15 student volunteers. In the past, more students have been involved.
“Some years there seems to be more interest than other years on the part of the students,” Knouse added.
At the festival, three OU students sold jewelry for the emPOWER Campaign. They sold beaded jewelry made by the Iruhurra Women’s Cooperative in Kibale, a region of Uganda. The profits go toward buying educational resources for orphans as well as providing the jewelry-makers with income so that they can be self-sufficient.
“They are all recycled bits of magazine that have been wound,” junior Christina Conrad said. Conrad explained that she became involved with this cause through the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.
Junior Whitney Durban described the emPOWER table as “guilt-free shopping” to an interested customer.
Living a sustainable life
Knouse defines sustainable living as “taking responsibility for everything you do.” He explained that it includes short- and long-term planning as well as ethical responsibility. “Every dollar you spend is an action of yours that creates consequences,” Knouse added.
"It’s a recycling lifestyle,” festival attendee Samantha Carey said. “You're renewing things and you're not using to a point where things are going to run out.”
Sustainability covers a great many topics. Knouse explained that local business is inherently sustainable. Buying foods that were not grown locally, for example, uses petroleum that could otherwise be saved by not transporting the goods cross-country.
“You can go to Athens Farmers Market and buy fresh produce, picked that morning, locally grown, without chemicals, that employ local people and supports the local economy, and it's better for you nutritionally,” Knouse said.
Sustainability advocates hope to spread message
The goal of this week is to spread knowledge about sustainable living.
“There are many Athenians who are aware of these issues and are very concerned about them,” Knouse said. “There are many areas in this country where [people] don’t have a clue and we’d like to change that.”
Throughout this week, activities such as the Ohio Climate and Energy workshop, energy days at OU for Athens schools and a solar-home tour will be offered.
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To see a full list of events for the week, visit www.susfest.org.