NY Green Fest, Aug. 7-9, 2009, Alfred, NY

NY Green Fest, Aug. 7-9, 2009, Alfred, NY
http://nygreenfest.org/

Features Many Local Activists, Artists and Musicians
NY Green Fest 2009, a sustainability conference being held the weekend of Aug. 7-9 on the campus of Alfred University in Alfred, offers a wide range of activities with workshops and forums, music and poetry, hiking, swimming, yoga, lakeside camping, star-watching and drumming.The Bloodthirsty Vegan Band from Buffalo will play for a dance Saturday night

A Green fair with over 45 artists, craftspeople, farmers, authors, publishers, alternative energy consultants, alternative fuel vehicles, activist organizations and live alpacas will take place on the campus green.

Presenters will show how to build a small wind turbine, make tofu, felt and beer, and live off the grid. What distinguishes NY Green Fest from other Green festivals are the many workshops and forums on political, economic and environmental issues. This year's workshops and forums feature many presenters from western New York.

Bill Kauffman from Batavia, author of Look Homeward, America, will speak on "Why Localism Matters," Steve Lewandowski from Rushville, Program Director of the Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative, will speak about watershed protection, Virginia Rasmussen from Alfred, a principal of the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy will speak on the politics of sustainability, Peter Jemison from Victor, director of Ganandogan, will speak on the Treaty of Canandaigua.

Lois Hilton, owner of Tickletown Trust & Trade in Little Valley, will speak on "Creating a New Local Economy in an Old General Store", Roy Butler from Four Winds Renewable Energy in Arkport, will speak about small wind, Deborah Magone from Rochester will sing and speak about creating Green media, Meg Krywe from Hornell will speak about the the Allegany County anti-nuclear campaign and play with the Lucky Pluckers Band, Jason Nabewaniec from Rochester, co-chair of the Green Party of the US, will speak on visioning a Green future, They are among the 75 presenters offering workshops and forums at Green Fest.

Five plenary sessions and 50 breakout workshops will be offered. Four workshops will address issues related to gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Other workshops address zero waste, drawing political cartoons, organizing for peace in the Middle East, post carbon cities and why nuclear is not Green.

The Green Fair opens Green Fest at noon on Friday. Twelve workshops will be offered Friday afternoon on topics ranging from how to grow nut trees in New York to sustainability in school dining. Friday evening's plenary session features Virginia Rasmussen speaking about the politics of sustainability and Cyril Mychelako speaking about rights for nature. Deborah Magone's music will introduce the evening.

Twenty eight workshops will be offered on Saturday in four sessions throughout the day beginning at 8:30 am. There will be two plenary sessions: Saturday morning's plenary with Art Weaver and Dan Miner on the reality of renewable energy, and Saturday evening with Joel Kovel and Tony Gronowicz on revitalizing the relationship between humans and nature. Musical offerings by the Lucky Pluckers and Crow Weaver will introduce the plenaries.

Ten workshops and two plenary sessions on Sunday round out the event. Sunday morning Bill Kauffman will speak on why localism matters , Peter Jemison and and Lyn Gerry will speak on sovereignty and sustainability, and Mike Czarnecki will read his poems. Green Fest's concluding session begins at 1:45 on Sunday with a concert of political songs by Leonard Lehrman and Helene Williams and talks on visioning a Green future by Steve Welzer and Jason Nabewaniec.
Getting to Green Fest
Green Fest 2009 will be held on the campus of Alfred University. Activities will be centered in the Powell Campus Center, 1 Saxon Drive, Alfred, NY.
Where to Stay and What to Eat
Meals and lodging on the Alfred University campus and Foster Lake campground must be reserved before August 1st. Participants may register and reserve camping spaces, dorm rooms and meals online at http://nygreenfest.org/registration.html.

Registration in advance is $85 for the weekend. An additional $20 fee will be charged for walk-in registrations. Camping is $11 per adult per night, dorm rooms are $25 per adult per night, apartment suites are $35 per adult per night and rooms at the Saxon Inn are $89+ per night.. Meals prepared from locally-grown food are available in the Alfred University dining hall. Three meal options are available: six meals $75, four meals $50 or Saturday dinner only $20. Lodging and meals for children are less.

For more information, visit http://nygreenfest.org/ or call 607-569-2114.

Green Fest Schedule

Friday, August 7, 2009

10:00 am, Registration opens
12:00 noon, Exhibits open
1:45 pm, Workshops and Panels, Session 1
3:00 pm, Workshops and Panels, Session 2
4:15 pm, Swimming, hiking, yoga, drumming
5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner in Dining Hall
7:00 pm, Forum on the Politics of Sustainability

Saturday, August 8, 2009

7:30-8:30 am, Breakfast in Dining Hall
8:30 am, Workshops and Panels, Session 3
9:45 am, Forum on Sustainable Energy
11:15 am , Workshops and Panels, Session 4
12:30-1:30 pm, Lunch in Dining Hall
1:45 pm, Workshops and Panels, Session 5
3:00 pm, Workshops and Panels, Session 6
4:15 pm, Swimming, hiking, yoga, drumming
5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner in Dining Hall
7:00 pm , Forum on Politics and Nature
9:30 pm, Music and Dancing

Sunday, August 9, 2009

7:30-8:30 am, Breakfast in Dining Hall
8:30 am, Workshops and Panels, Session 7
9:45 am, Forum on Regionalism and Sustainability
11:30 am , Workshops and Panels, Session 8
12:30-1:30 pm, Lunch in Dining Hall
1:45 pm, Concert, Forum on Visioning a Green Future
3:30 pm, Adjourn


Workshops, Panels and Forums

Allegany Anti-Nuclear Campaign
Approaches to Landscape for Food
Battle for Progressive Media
Build Your Own Wind Turbine
Building Pollywogg Holler
Celebrating Elie Siegmeister
Communities and Hydro Fracturing
Drawing Political Cartoons
Drumming Circle
Economics as a Cultural System
Empire to Earth Community
Feltmaking Workshop
Gaia Girls Readings
Gas Drilling and Local Sovereignty
Gaza's Dilemma
Green Campaign Lessons
Green Media Panels
Hatha Yoga
Importance of Political Theory
Intro to 9/11 Issues
Liberation Ecology Workshop
Living off the Grid
Local Food Supply Systems
Low Cost Solar Collector
9/11 Truth Workshop
Marcellus Shale Overview
Natural Gas 101
Nature Walks
Nonviolent Communication
Nut Tree Growing Workshop
Organizing for Peace
Out of Time: Global Warming
Post Carbon Economies
Poetry from Place Workshop
Political Organizing on Campus
Politics of Sustainability
Rainwater Catchment Systems
Reality of Renewable Energy
Rights for Nature
Small Wind Consumer Education
Sovereignty and Sustainability
Spiritual Basis for Green Living
Sustainability in School Dining
Sustainable Cities Panel
Swimming
Third Party Ballot Access
Third Parties in U.S. Experience
Tickletown Sustainability Projects
Tofumaking Workshop
Treaty of Canandaigua
Visioning a Green Future
Watershed Protection
What is Sustainability
Why Localism Matters
Zero Waste Workshop

Green Fest is a benefit for the Green Party of New York
and other state Green parties in our region.