FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2008
Editorial Contact: John Batdorf, Expo Coordinator
Phone: 248-453-5340
Email:
john@uheac.org
EARTH DAY EXPO EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS
Over 6,000 Attend Annual Earth Day Celebration at OU
Rochester, MI
– Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center and Oakland
University, producers of the Earth Day Expo, are happy to announce that the
third annual Expo, held last Saturday at OU's Oakland Center, exceeded many
high expectations. Expo attendance was well above the organizers' goal of
5,000, including approximately 6,000 who visited the Oakland Center and an
additional number who stayed outdoors. The outdoor exhibits were very
popular including the local foods market, which was packed all day. The
alternative vehicles attracted a lot of attention as well, especially the
hybrids, the BloKart land cruiser and the UM solar car, which was featured
in two live segments by WDIV-TV Local 4, along with Chef Stewart McWilliams
of Mind, Body, Spirits sustainable restaurant of Rochester.
"We are very pleased with both the quantity and quality of the event", said
John Batdorf, Expo Coordinator. "We sold out our 100+ exhibit spaces and
sponsorships, and easily exceeded our attendance goals. But more
importantly, the energy at the expo was just amazing. The crowds, the
vendors, the weather, the music, and the activities all came together really
well. It was great to see so many smiles and lots of people connecting and
having fun. To get the kind of positive feedback we got during the event was
actually a little overwhelming."
Inside, over 100 vendors of green living and wellness products and services
kept busy throughout the day. Many of them offered their praise of the expo
including Jerry Neale of Natural Awakenings Magazine, who was very
enthusiastic, "this has definitely become a 'must-attend' community event
and the premier Earth Day event in the area."
There is always a lot of interest in the wellness exhibits and this year was
no exception. In fact, U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, who took time from his
hectic schedule to stop by, made a point of checking out the wellness area,
after reviewing several renewable energy exhibits.
For most attendees, the event was their first encounter with many green
products and services like compostable materials, geothermal energy, organic
clothing, dual-flushing toilets, wind turbines, non-toxic lawn care, natural
health services and more. One attendee with a lot of experience in all
things green is Will Rex, who recently moved to Oxford, MI from the Finger
Lakes area of New York. Rex has worked with an ecological-spiritual
organization, named Peace Weavers, for 18 years, "I have been to many events
over the years and thought that this was the best. I was very impressed with
the diversity. My wife, who is a natural childbirth instructor, thought the
networking was great. My kids loved the Strawbale Studio's earth plaster
activity outdoors. We all enjoyed the music by Joe Reilly."
The expo did more than just talk about green, it implemented a green plan
that included waste reduction, composting, and recycling as well as carbon
neutrality provided by Carbon Credit Environmental Services, who produced
the first carbon-neutral Lions game. Expo managers estimate that they
reduced trash by well over 50% by providing compostable food service items
and recycling stations that were monitored by volunteers, as well as asking
for exhibitors to reduce waste. "We fed many of the 6,000 attendees and only
generated a handful of trash bags and some plastic bottles for recycling.
The rest of the disposed materials were compostable items that we will
compost and return as earth at next year's Earth Day Expo," said Expo
Program Coordinator and Master Gardener/Composter, Chris Tarr. "The
exhibitors did a great job of reducing waste as well."
"Considering our late start and a small staff, we are thrilled with how the
expo turned out. We especially appreciate the media for getting the word out
and our volunteers who did such a nice job of making everyone feel welcome,”
continued Batdorf. “There are definitely things we needed to do better next
year - like better encouraging donations to cover our costs - but we feel
like we have laid the ground work for even bigger and better future Earth
Day Expos. We are already making plans for next year's expo, which will be a
multi-day event held on the weekend of April 17th-19th."
Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. It is
a designated Michigan Energy Demonstration Center and model of eco-friendly
design and renewable energy applications, located in northern Oakland
County. It provides resources that promote a sustainable relationship with
the natural world and each other. UHEAC can be reached at
www.uheac.org,
info@uheac.org or 248 693-1021.
The OU Energy Office administers a $5 million campus energy budget while
promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and bio-fuels. Visit
http://www.oakland.edu/energy/ for more information.
The OU Complementary Medicine and Wellness graduate program emphasizes
patient/client counseling and education about mind-body approaches,
complementary therapies, health promotion, disease prevention and wellness.
Their website is
http://www2.oakland.edu/shs/es/complementary.cfm.
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