Going Green Expo invades Boston
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It’s hard to imagine a force strong enough to pull Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, hemp-wearing econauts and an enormous pile of processed elephant dung into the same room — but last weekend’s Going Green Expo did exactly that.
In its Boston debut last weekend, the fledgling Going Green Expo did an admirable job of demonstrating the breadth of what “going green” can mean — with over 150 exhibitors showcasing everything from industrial washing machines to clothesline advocacy; from health-promoting cookware to paper made from Sri Lankan elephant poop.
Of the two booths selling imported paper from renewable resources, Mr. Ellie Pooh had the best gimmick. They sell paper made from pulped, boiled and sanitized elephant dung. Why? Well, in addition to shrinking habitats, Sri Lankan elephants are often targeted by farmers who tend to see the pachyderms as 13-ton pests that trample and gobble their crops. But the elephants provide a surprising resource: Due to their fibrous plant diet, the elephants’ waste is raw cellulose, just waiting to be transformed into paper — and if the elephants are producing something of value, the farmers have more reason to let them live. Across the aisle, Nepalese Paper sold paper made from the leaves of the Lokta Bush using a process so sustainable it doesn’t even kill the plants.
I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the two booths selling reusable bags. Reusable bags are a cheap and easy way to conserve resources, but it’s hard to justify buying them when you get one free with your admission ticket.
On the more glamorous tip was Vodka 360, peddling their swanky brand of environmentally conscious hooch. Vodka 360 strives for a green approach in nearly every step of their product’s creation, from their energy-efficient distilling process to their recycled-glass bottling — an admirable feat … but unless you’re downing a gallon a day, this probably won’t impact your footprint much.
” … it’s a solar-powered dryer.” I didn’t know that the humble clothesline was so oppressed it needed an advocacy group, but the guy at Project Laundry List explained to me that most gated or association-governed communities ban them. (The whole conversation made me feel quite silly for having a machine that pours energy into heating clothes while tumbling them around, considering that if you leave them alone for a couple hours, they dry themselves. )
Larger companies muscled in on the action, too, including light bulb manufacturer Sylvania Lighting, who was there holding people’s hands through the switch to power-saving switch fluorescent lights, and NStar, who had this nifty device showing just how much electricity they save by doing so. They both fit in comfortably with the environmental theme (no small feat for a power company); meanwhile, Kitchen Craft seemed to have trouble remembering where they were, as they bounced from extolling the health benefits of home cooking to praising riding mowers to literal flag-waving.
But no big company managed to recast itself quite as well as event sponsor Waste Management, whose clean green truck towered over everything around it. They patted themselves on the back for a respectable list of environmental accomplishments, as if to say, “Look, it’s not like we’re the ones generating the trash.”
Waste Management’s “director of fun” handed out awards in the day’s biggest event. The awards highlighted the work of several small environmental groups, except for the first one which went to Mayor Menino (a self-proclaimed “bike nut”) for a wide variety of initiatives the city of Boston has taken under his watch. On his way to accept his award, the mayor walked right past me and shot me an odd look. It was impenetrable and sly, an expression that seemed to say, “Between you and me I’m as surprised to see myself here as you are, but I’m taking it all in stride. That’s what I do.”
Of course, no environmental show would be complete without at least one stab at revolutionizing transportation. Zap! filled a sort of ceremonial role, showing a three-wheeled electric Xebra Sedan that looked like a caricature of what Americans won’t drive. At the other end, the biodiesel truck (shown here eating a man alive) looked like a caricature of what we do drive. Fortunately, I learned that no matter what I drive, I can take care of it responsibly using waterless car care products from Eco Touch.
Almost half the show floor was taken up with large home and industrial equipment, some of it larger than the cars. Giant solar panels were dwarfed by enormous turbines, while the water-softening industrial washing machines looked like some kind of doomsday weapon.
Tara Lynn Studio of Vermont hosted an Eco-Fashion Show with 11 designers, whose garb ran the gamut from T-shirts printed to children’s pajamas and bridal gowns; a pretty casual vibe, for the most part.
Overall, the Going Green Expo was a lot of fun, if a little disjointed. I found it difficult to weigh the environmental merits of one booth against another, as everything was a comparison of apples (locally grown) and oranges (pesticide-free). But as a nomadic mall where you can feel good about every purchase, Going Green held its own.
If you missed this GGE, New Englanders, fret not — there are a few more coming up this year:
Burlington, VT | 5.10.08-5.11.08
Portland, ME | 8.23.08-8.24.08
Manchester, NH | 11.1.08-11.2.08
Also on the horizon, is Down:2:Earth (D2E) Boston, a three-day “exploration into sustainable living.”
Boston, MA (Hynes Convention Center) | 3.28.08-3.30.08
