Local products and services to be shown at fairgrounds event
Stefanie Knowlton • Statesman Journal • May 7, 2009
Salem’s first green living show opens Friday with everything from organic clothes to alternative fuels.
The two-day Green Expo gives residents a chance to see environmentally friendly products and services offered locally, said organizer Kaleb Ramsay with Willamette Valley Productions.
More than 60 companies and organizations will tout sustainable ideas including solar power, organic food, alternative transportation, recycling tools, landscaping and home remodeling.
The show also includes free seminars and electronics recycling services.
Willamette Valley Productions produces home shows including the Salem Home and Remodeling Show. The buzz for sustainable products at recent shows helped spark the idea for the new event, Ramsay said.
People keep asking, “How do I make my life more sustainable,” he said, and local companies are clamoring to share new technologies.
One Fair World, formerly Ten Thousand Villages in Salem, will be one of the companies at the Green Expo. The shop sells handmade goods from artisans around the world who earn a fair wage.
“We’re very excited,” said manager Linda Bruce. “Of course we support the whole green effort.”
Public services including Salem-Keizer Transit and Marion County Environmental Services will also have informational booths at the Green Expo.
Similar shows have popped up in Portland, Austin, Toronto and major cities around the United States and Canada.
While Salem’s show can’t compete on that scale, Ramsay said, it does highlight local solutions. He hopes to make the show an annual event in Salem.
“We really hope that the community will support it,” he said.
sknowlto@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6735
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