Community Corner

Green Living Fair to Educate Residents on Sustainability

The fair will be held at Libertyville Civic Center, 135 W. Church St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 17.

The Green Living Fair will partner with a new organization this year to educate residents about the benefits of recycling bicycles.

Sponsored by the Libertyville Civic Center Foundation and Lake County Green Congregations, the fair is partnering with Working Bikes Cooperative, a nonprofit that diverts bikes from waste streams and sells or donates them to underserved communities in Chicago, Africa and Central and South America.

“We are hoping to get at least 50 bikes so it’s worth their time,” said Cathryn O’Brien, an organizer with Green Living Fair.

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The nonprofit will be bringing a truck that could collect up to 80 bicycles. In addition, Working Bikes also will showcase how old bicycles can be transformed to create energy.

Other presentations include the Girl Scouts showing how to use fabric to wrap items such as presents or lunchboxes, and Habitat for Humanity discussing how it builds green homes.

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“We wanted to emphasize that this is not a trade show but about educating people on sustainability,” O’Brien said.

Attendees also can learn about beekeeping, composting, sustainable ways of shopping and cleaning, as well as recycling.

“People can also bring their electronic wastes,” O’Brien said.

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“Every presentation is aimed for the home,” O’Brien said.

She hopes the fair will help residents make more sustainable decisions when it comes to items in the home, such as buying eggs from cardboard cartons instead of foam packages.

“Last year we had around 300 people; this year we are hoping for good weather and the same amount of people, if not more,” O’Brien said.


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