Caroline Stanca received an email alerting her to the Mercer Green Fest at Rider University – so, with husband and son in tow, she decided to check it out.
“We didn’t know what to expect. We thought it would be a good family outing,” said Stanca, who lives in Hamilton Township.
The family tries to live a “green life” by recycling and doing the usual things – although maybe not as much as other people, Stanca said. They do avoid using pesticides and other enhancements on the lawn, she added.
For Chris Martinez, it was the flier that listed the exhibit of electric cars that caught her attention.
“I was curious. I have been to a ‘green’ event. It was the electric cars that caught my eye,” said Martinez, who lives in New Brunswick.
Stanca and Martinez were among the visitors to the 13th annual Mercer Green Fest, which was held March 16 at Rider University in Lawrence Township. The event, which was initially organized by Sustainable Lawrence, has grown every year.
This year’s theme for the Mercer Green Fest, which was sponsored by the Mercer County Sustainability Coalition, was “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” The coalition includes “green teams” and other environmentally focused groups from many Mercer County towns, and the Mercer County Office of Economic Development and Sustainability.
Many of the exhibitors took that message to heart, such as Sustainable Haus, which makes cloth napkins and snack bags from discarded textiles and also offers wooden toothbrushes, combs and brushes.
Another exhibitor, Karmic Seed, converts sugarcane waste and fallen dry leaves into plates and bowls of assorted sizes that themselves can be composted after being used several times.
Several artists signed up for the Mercer Green Fest to show off their sustainable creations.
David Horowitz and Judith Marchand of Modern Fossils take plaster castings of storm drain covers in the street, and then incorporate “found” objects – nails, screws, bicycle sprockets, computer chips – into the plaster castings.
A few tables away, John Rounds of Mercer Art offered framed New Jersey county maps made with bits and pieces of old New Jersey license plates. Some of the frames were made with discarded lumber from a house that was demolished.
Many nonprofit organizations took advantage of Mercer Green Fest to spread their own messages.
Soles4Souls collects used shoes, which are sold and shipped to entrepreneurs in developing nations to create jobs that lift them out of poverty.
The Watershed Institute had pamphlets on hand to encourage visitors to incorporate “green infrastructure” at home – landscaping practices that mimic nature to reduce flooding and pollution, such as rain gardens and rain barrels.
But there was more to Mercer Green Fest than nonprofits and exhibitors that encouraged sustainable practices.
Lawrence Township public school students showed off what they had learned and created in school.
Students at the Lawrenceville Elementary School learned that making a tin-foil boat wider would hold more pennies – and not sink – than a narrower one.
The students also learned first-hand that foam is better at absorbing water – and stopping flooding – than cardboard or wooden barriers.
And since it was billed as a family-friendly event, there was entertainment for children.
The Eyes of the Wild traveling zoo was especially popular, as children – and their parents – learned about the habits of chinchillas, skunks, ferrets and tortoises. But perhaps the most popular critter was Charlie the Porcupine.
Surveying the scene at the Student Recreation Center, event organizer Pam Mount said she was pleased with the Mercer Green Fest. The Mercer County Sustainability Coalition had been planning it for months.
All of that planning paid off, Mount said, pointing to the diversity of the exhibitors – from the artists who recycled “found objects” into their artwork, to those who promoted everything from solar panels to sustainable, chemica-free cleaning products.
Some exhibitors encouraged visitors to change their eating habits by adopting a vegan lifestyle and eating sustainably. This means giving up meat.
“There are some very passionate young people who are trying to make things happen,” Mount observed.
