In 2003, I was a staff volunteer at the Green Festival held in Austin and my volunteer experience was eye-opening.  It was my first face-to-face exposure to people and companies focused on fair trade goods, responsible investment services, green home technology, etc.  The volunteers were inspired people passionate about social and environmental sustainability.  They were of all ages and had traveled from around the world to volunteer at the event in Austin.  I imagine that the same continues today, but with even more participants given the growth of green industries since 2003. 

(The 2003 Green Festival in Austin was the first to be hosted outside San Francisco, where the first Green Festival was held in 2002.  Today, up to three Festivals are held each year in deserving cities across the US.)

The volunteer tasks themselves were painless – I helped setup tables the night before then ran the cash register for a 4 hour shift in the Global Exchange booth, selling fair trade toys and accessories from around the world.  For the rest of the two-day event I was free to enjoy the Festival.  Oh, yeah – and they give out great T-shirts to volunteers…organic, sweat shop-free cotton so soft you want to wear it every day - but pick up yours early or you’ll end up with a oversized sleep shirt, like I did.

This year the folks at Green America are giving away a Green Getaway to attend the Summer Festival at your choice of location, either Chicago or Denver.  It’s the full green treatment for two including airfare, Festival passes, a weekend stay at a green hotel, meals at a green restaurant, public transportation passes to help you get around car-free, and carbon offsets to make the whole trip totally carbon neutral!  To enter, all you have to do is tell them what you plan to do in 2009 to ‘go green’.  While they are ultimately seeking stories for their planned ‘going-green-on-a-budget” newsletter article, your entry is eligible based on submission, not content, so if you’re not inspired to write a novel about your greening strategy that’s ok – you can still win.

Can't wait until Summer to experience a Green Festival?  Check out the Festival in Seattle, March 28-29.

Green Festivals show you what a truly green economy would look like – Fair Trade, renewable energy, organic food, sweatshop-free clothing, recycling and composting, and more.  If you don’t win the free trip, consider joining the volunteer staff at any of the Festivals this year.   And, when you go, leave your credit card at home – the Festival may be carbon neutral but the impulse shopping can still have a significant impact on your bank balance!

Green Festival™ is a joint project of Green America and Global Exchange. Green Festivals™ are two day celebrations of what people can do to promote healthy communities, social justice and ecological balance.