'Green Is for Life!' Ohio State Campus in Wooster to Host Green Fair

Here comes the sun: Ohio State's fifth annual Wooster Campus Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair, with 60-plus exhibits on sustainability, including solar energy, is April 17. At least 2,000 people are expected.

WOOSTER, Ohio — “Green is for life!” says the tagline for Ohio State University’s fifth annual Wooster Campus Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair, set for April 17 — during Earth Week — at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

“Our goal is to educate people about the variety of environmentally friendly and sustainable products and research on the market today,” said OARDC’s Gwen Covert, head of the fair’s planning committee. “The green industry is evolving at an amazing rate, and our exhibitors are eager to share the latest products and research with the public.”

More than 60 exhibits will present information on biofuels, local foods, gardening, recycling, composting, wind energy, solar energy, organic farming, alternative vehicles, sustainable agriculture, green jobs and majors, and more.

Organizers expect at least 2,000 people to attend, which is how many came last year, Covert said.

Admission is free and open to the public. Activities are inside and outside OARDC’s Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.

There will be hundreds of entries in the fair’s student competitions on display; music throughout the day by Mark Tillack of Brinkhaven, called “The Off-grid Minstrel”; a free one-stop recycling station for paper, cell phones, compact fluorescent lamps and more; and a keynote talk during the fair’s opening ceremony by scientist Paolo Gabrielli of Ohio State’s Byrd Polar Research Center in Columbus.

Outside exhibits will be under one large tent. Local food vendors will include Sue-min’s Chinese Gourmet of Wooster, Hartzler Family Dairy of Wooster and Mama Pearl’s Soul Food & BBQ of Orrville.

Participants can “learn about cutting-edge breakthroughs, enjoy some great food and appreciate the environmental awareness of today’s students,” Covert said. “We can all learn simple ways to incorporate ‘green’ into our everyday lives.”

For more information, call 330-263-3700 or visit the fair’s website, http://www.wcsen.org/wcsggf/.

Coordinating sponsors are Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; the college’s research and outreach arms, OARDC and Ohio State University Extension, respectively; and the Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network.

Financial sponsors include the coordinating sponsors and about 20 area businesses and nonprofits.

Keep up on green matters on the college’s sustainability blog, http://sustainability.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/.

Writers

Kurt Knebusch

knebusch.1@osu.edu

330-263-3776

Sources

Gwen Covert

covert.25@osu.edu

330-263-3700