I've never been to any sort of environmental fair, so I felt like going to one would be interesting- especially if free food and animal exhibits were included ( as shown in the brochure). The fair took place Tuesday, September 23, 2008 around 7:30pm, on a cool nice evening with a hint of a small sweeping breeze. I went with a couple of friends to where the fair was on Pier 66 Maritime inside the Frying Pan cafe/ bar. As we entered the pier the scenery was beautiful! Right on the shore with a couple of old boats floating on the water, the fair seemed like the optimal place to have a community event. At the front of the fair there was a check- in table that bordered the many people within the fair. There were about 50 different tables set up for all different types of environmental organizations. All the people at the fair were extremely helpful and passionate about their cause. You couldn't pass a table without having someone try to grasp your attention about their cause. At the very back of the fair was the food stand that offered different sandwiches, chips, and an assortment of different dips. However, skimming through all the stands with their captivating demonstrations of different animals and what I even saw as costumed jellyfish, I completely forgot about the free food.
I knew this was a teacher's fair before I attended, so almost every table i encountered seem to be advertising workshops and activities that teachers should use to improve their student's knowledge about the community, and indeed this fair did a very good job to promote environmental awareness. However, even still, despite all the coloring books and all the kids' magazines, I felt like this fair was also a wonderful way to promote awareness in others besides children. All the different environmental issues were broken down into very basic terminology when the different people at the fair explained them to me- and we all know that this is usually the best approach for the average American. Issues ranging from endangered species, water quality and soils were all brought up in this fair- and of course climate change was not neglected.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was also their- I mingled with the lady their for a little, Sarah was her name, and she explained to me how I can also fight climate change as an individual. For instance turning off the TV, lights, computer if I wasn't using it- and not just turning it off but unplugging my electronics. She also talked to me about driving and techniques to help the issue of climate change by the way I brake and the way I speed. She even provided me all sorts of brochures to help inform and explain all the things I, as an individual, could do to help stop all the methane and CO2 rising up in the air- she made it very clear that fighting climate change is a group effort and that i should help spread the word and take some more brochures for my friends.
I also took some time at the Free Community Rowing stand. The representatives at the stand told me that building boats and rowing them on the bronx river help promote environmental awareness because it helps people appreciate nature and its wonders a little bit more. Immediately I understood the emotional appeal that they were trying to promote. It was a more modern way of advocating environmental issues- not the original pragmatic approach. Their idea was that by building boats and rowing the boats on the river, people are directly interacting with the beauty and fruits of nature- therefore they will appreciate nature more and want to conserve it.
Another very exciting stand was the Earth Celebrations stand- well maybe if it wasn't for the shiny pink and blue human jellyfish it wouldn't have been so exciting. They were promoting the different events where people go and celebrate the beauty of the planet- which I guess kind of matched their costumes, at least if they could say so. At these celebrations they endorse, there is poetry reading, art displaying and costume workshops- a perfect combination of kid and adult fun.
It's good to know that there are these types of fairs that promote environmental awareness to children. Children are our future- and if students are taught today to conserve the environment and to treasure it, this way of thinking will profoundly change the way they interact with it in the future. There is almost nothing I can say that was negative about this fair, except that I wish more of these environmental workshops and activities were free and endorsed by the public instead of so many private agencies. The environment is a public thing, everyone in New York- in the world- are part of it, and if the workshops and activities offered in the fair were more accessible then there would be more awareness.
