By Elizabeth LeBlanc
From March 28 to March 30, the Hynes Convention Center resembled CollegeFest, with exhibitors giving away business cards, free ice cream, samples and the opportunity for visitors to spend money on innovative products.
Down:2:Earth (D2E) founders Betty Fulton of Commonwealth Promotions, Inc. and Lorelei Grazier of Grazier Design Works had the intention of educating and creating awareness around sustainable living and the impact of everyday habits on global climate change.
D2E hosted a plethora of vendors, exhibiting alternatives individuals can use to reduce their impact on global warming. From organic clothing and LED lightbulbs to more extreme eco-friendly biodegradable coffins, the event provided education and reassurance about sustainable living.
David Gracer, founder of Sunrise Land Shrimp, saut’eacute;ed grasshoppers with white rice and talked about the benefits of insects as an alternative to pork or beef.
“The insects of the world are eating salad while the lobsters are eating dead fish and trash,” Gracer said, when expressing his lack of understanding for people who eat lobsters and other ocean crustaceans, but refuse to eat insects. “I always said if we lived in the ocean, we’d be all about the grasshoppers.”
The more than 75 exhibitors allowed visitors to explore the benefits of worm feces as plant fertilizer or take a shot of 360 vodka: four times distilled, five times filtered, with a bottle made from 85 percent recycled glass and a label made from 100 percent post-consumer waste paper. Ben ‘ Jerry’s donated ice cream and distributed information about their campaign “Lick Global Warming.” Second Rotation was there to collect old cell phones in return for cash, and held a free raffle for an iPhone.
“This is the first time we’ve done this,” said Nina Berger, PR agent for the event. “We’re not trying right now to open in other cities.”
She said they would see how this weekend in Boston went, and maybe bring the convention elsewhere.
An eco-chic fashion show Friday night featured designs from We Add Up, whose mantra is, “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” Each T-shirt has an individual number on it to denote the number represented in the count for people against global climate change. At $25 a piece and with 25 separate designs, the number one selling T-shirt read “Shower Together,” with a picture of two heads underneath a low-pressure shower.
There are other ways to reduce carbon consumption and be energy efficient.
“We turn off the lights when we leave a room,” said Northeastern senior Stephanie Jones.
Turning off lights and other electronics like laptops and the television is one way to reduce your carbon footprint, which is the impact each person leaves on the environment.
“The only footprint I’m leaving is electrical,” said Bill Long, a Northeastern senior. “We don’t turn the heat on. I don’t have a car or a computer. I’m pretty simple.”
In another first for this year, the city of Boston will host the annual Hub On Wheels bike tour September 21. The event will block off some of Boston’s busier streets like Storrow Drive and allow bikers to ride safely and tour the city in an eco-friendly manner.
Boston, according to Popular Science magazine, is the third greenest city in the nation.
