LINCOLN SQUARE — Nearly 50 environmental groups and sustainable small businesses will be at Welles Park during Saturday’s Eco Fest.
The free event is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and is being organized by Park District, Welles Park Advisory Council and the 47th Ward’s youth and green councils. Organizers are asking neighbors to RSVP to the event here.
The new festival is an opportunity for neighbors to learn more about sustainable living and become more involved in environmental advocacy to address the climate emergency, Ald. Matt Martin (47th) said.
Participating businesses include Eco & The Flamingo, Wastenot Compost and Do Good Gardens.
Some of the environmental groups attending are Save Your Ash Chicago Coalition, Montrose Metra Community Gardens and Chicago for Electric Vehicles.
The event will also feature educational workshops focused on solar energy, tree care, plastic pollution, electric vehicles and more. The CTA is also providing a bus so people who want to bike more regularly can practice loading their bike onto a bus’ rack in “a low-stress environment,” said Andi Aguilar, the 47th Ward’s director of Small Business Affairs.
Working Bikes, which refurbishes bikes and donates them to communities in need, will accept gently used bikes on site, Aguilar said.
Reduce Waste Chicago will also host a pop-up to collect more than 80 items that aren’t accepted in the city’s blue cart program for reuse or recycling.
“We’re excited to take part in Eco Fest and further our mission to divert waste from landfills and raise awareness around how we dispose of the materials we use,” Sherry Skalko and Sharon Gaietto, co-founders of Reduce Waste Chicago, said in a statement.
Attendees can get free oak tree saplings and compost and win a rain barrel from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Native plant and seed packets will also be available from the Field Museum, and a limited supply of bike helmets will be given away courtesy of Swedish Hospital, Aguilar said.
There will also be activities for children, including a bicycle obstacle course, open play in Welles Park’s Nature Play Area and information about how to repurpose old materials to make new items.
Live entertainment will be provided by the Old Town School of Folk Music and other local musicians.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the event’s website.
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