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Cool Green Fun

In 2008, the Marin County Fair won the prestigious Merrill Award as the most innovative county fair in the Western United States and Canada from the 150-member Western Fairs Association. Honored for its theme, “The Greenest County Fair on Earth,” it was the fourth time in its history that the Fair has received the award.

This year, Fair organizers hope to create a model of what county fairs can aspire to do environmentally with the theme “Cool Green Fun.”

Some of the green highlights for 2009 involve solar power, including photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Exhibit Hall generating 40 percent of the fairgrounds’ annual kilowatt use, Ben & Jerry’s Solar Stage and ice cream cart, plus the first-ever solar carousel at a county fair—all powered by Pacific Gas & Electric.

The Fair’s concessions will use biodegradable or compostable flatware and dishes, and food waste will be turned into compost (via the Marin Sanitary Service’s bio-cell) to enrich Marin Center’s landscaping. Even discarded cooking oil will be recycled into biodiesel fuel.

We’re also looking forward to presenting an array of Eco Entertainment events including such fun programs as the Walking Treeman, magician Steve Trash and The Big Green Magic Show, pretty sunflower-festooned Betty Biodiesel with her handy recycling tips, and Rawhide Express, the all-electric, solar-powered train that will transport guests throughout the Fair.

Keeping with the green theme, the Fair will host the most comprehensive expo of electric cars ever in Marin County. The new Electric Wheels Car Show will give guests an exciting “all electric” collection of clean-air, energy-efficient vehicles available in the marketplace today and concept cars for the future. The Fair will gather the coolest and newest electric cars, from unique cars built by Bay Area home engineers to the most advanced technology now in concept stages at car manufacturers.

Exhibits are the heart and soul of county fairs, and Marin is no exception with a total of 11,000 expected to enter as well as admire. Many of our popular exhibits will again have a green focus this year, with such new additions as Second Time Around Container Gardens, Wheelbarrow Gardens and Growing Green Photographs. Other competitions will require taking a fresh approach to recycled and earth-friendly materials, including Decorated Bicycles, Play Green, Wind Chimes and Making Music. The imaginative Brighten a Life exhibit will feature clothing and textiles created from recycled and earth-friendly materials (which will be donated to charitable organizations after the Fair’s conclusion).

Special exhibits will include the Marin Master Gardener Victory Garden, where Master Gardeners will use compost collected at the 2008 fair—cured in the bio-cell at Marin Sanitary Services—and create a new Victory Garden to showcase the benefits of composting and container gardening.

The Marin County Farmers’ Market will celebrate local agricultural products and cooking in a new demonstration kitchen and presentation area. And Play Fair Fun Fest will return with its special kid-friendly pavilion packed with games and activities to encourage a greener, healthier community.

Green competitions returning from the 2008 Fair include: From Trash to Treasure, Decorated Windows, Light Bulb Sculpture, Recycling Glass Art, Design Your Own Water Bottle, Backyard Compost Competition and Celebrate Arbor Day.

Wind power will get an inventive spin with the propeller-free Windspire vertical turbine. Windspire will serve as a leading-edge renewable energy demonstration project and showcase the future of wind energy. Made by Mariah Power, this bird-friendly, quiet and safe 30-foot-tall wind turbine generates about 1,800 kilowatt hours annually to run nearby exterior lighting outside the entrance of Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium.  It’s the first wind turbine installed at a fairgrounds in California.

We’re proud members of the Bay Area Green Business Program and became certified as the first “green” fairgrounds in April 2008. Thus, the Fair pledges to comply with all applicable regulations—and, in fact, strives to exceed compliance—as well as conserve energy, water, material and other resources. We’ll also develop and implement practices that prevent pollution and waste, be an environmentally responsible business within our community and strive for continuous improvement. We want to move toward the County of Marin goal to create a sustainable future.

As we look forward to another successful green Marin County Fair, we invite you to join us at one of the Bay Area’s finest family traditions. We look forward to a greener future, working together to make this a healthier planet for generations to come. And if you can, come to the Fair in your hybrid vehicle, by public transportation or ride your bike. We’ll provide the bicycle valet parking!

Jim Farley is director of the Department of Cultural and Visitor Services for Marin County. The 2009 Marin County Fair will run Wednesday July 1 through Sunday July 5. For more information, visit www.marinfair.org.