Congratulations to our EcoJam organizers, designers, and models for the most successful EcoJam to date!
Photos thanks to Soren Pearson! for complete collection, click here
Tag: EcoJam Fashion Show
Fairfield, you are invited!
“What is the next greatest version of your life, your community, the region and the nation?” asks keynote 2012 EcoFairfield speaker Seth Braun. That’s what last year’s EcoFair organizers asked ourselves last year. We learned from our local workshop presenters that there is a wealth of expertise, passion, and practical home-based sustainability in Fairfield and regionally. We learned from the Fairfield Volunteer Center’s weatherization projects and Interact’s Sunnybrook garden project that community service is fun, meaningful, bridges generations, and generates friendships. At the Growing Food and Justice Conference in Wisconsin we discovered that community building and sustainability education can be seamlessly merged, and that culture, art, agriculture, and food are all integral. We knew that community meant connecting diverse perspectives, because if the “choir is preaching to the choir,” the choir is missing out on learning, growth, and new relationships. With so many fantastic organizations, projects, and people here, it seemed like the best route was to come together and get to know our neighbors.
You’re invited this April 20th-22nd to Fairfield, Iowa for “EcoFairfield”. Bring your shovel, your business card, your story and most importantly your passion and vision! EcoFairfield is a new idea: a community organized, community-supported, and community-wide event themed to “Serve, Connect, Inspire.” It is a cross-organizational project that includes the Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield Volunteer Center, Fairfield Rotaract, myLocal Cooperative, City of Fairfield, Dharma Foundation, Bonnell Building Project, and Iowa State Extension with more partnerships developing.
“One of the many partnerships that have come together for Ecofairfield is a group to plant in upwards of 300 6-foot trees around the community,” explains James Schleppenbach. The project is funded through an energy grant from Alliant Energy. Shade trees as well as fruit and nut trees for community orchards will be planted. James’ initial “Day of Service” concept focused on bringing together students from Fairfield Public Schools, Maharishi School, and MUM for an afternoon of community volunteering, but it quickly evolved into a coalition working with the City’s tree planting and several other events. RSVP here http://www.facebook.com/events/350672824976142/.
Saturday we invite you to enjoy the abundance of Fairfield. Your weekly Indoor Farmers Market is 8am-2pm at the Senior Center. 9am-4pm, the Green Vendors’ Sale (http://www.facebook.com/events/409948079031068/) and Green Career Jobs Fair (http://www.facebook.com/events/406619692688100/) will fill Fairfield Convention Center Expo Hall and meeting rooms. Discover eco-friendly goods, local cottage industry expertise, and global connections. Explore green jobs, internships, business opportunities, and local non-profits dedicated to education and service.
Workshops, presentations, and documentaries all day Saturday and on Sunday afternoon will offer a broad range of knowledge and experience you can apply to day-to-day sustainability. Enjoy walking or biking the Spring streets as you visit the Fairfield Convention Center, Fairfield Public Library, the old St. Mary’s schoolhouse, and MUM campus, where you can tour the new Sustainable Living Center.
Local or regional speakers and workshop hosts include Fred Kirschenmann from the Leopold Center; Stuart Valentine, green asset management; Christian Renaud from StartupCity Des Moines; Michael Cook, a former organizer of the Village Building Convergence in Portland, Oregon; Francis Thicke, author, sustainable agriculture expert, and founder of Radiance Dairy; Maryan Hesse, an Amazon forest ambassador; Scott Morris, Founder of myLocal Cooperative; and Nick Campney from One-Hundred Trees. Most presentations will be free; a few workshops may require $2-10 donations to help cover costs of materials. A schedule including costs will be here online the first week of April.
Saturday night culminates in the annual ECOjam Fashion Show at 7pm in St. Mary’s School House. Twelve designers will each present a line consisting of recycled, vintage, or organically and sustainably manufactured materials. Local artists are also invited to showcase their art! (Artists contact: gracehartnett@gmail.com) Tickets go on sale at April’s Art Walk in front of the Beauty Shop and at the ECOjam door. For more information click here: http://www.facebook.com/events/312749835455771/.
Sunday morning is reserved for appreciating the spirit of rest, worship, and family. The early afternoon features a Community Swap, Kidz Corner, Food Drive, and workshops before the event’s grand finale at Chataqua park, where the Hometown Rewards BBQ and tree planting will be complemented by Seth Braun facilitating a community conversation on envisioning the next best version of Fairfield.
Stay up to date and help us get the word around by visiting our blog and subscribing for updates at ecofairfield.wordpress.com, or like us at facebook.com/ecofairfield. Please direct questions, suggestions, and volunteer interest to Minca Borg: borgs108@gmail.com
Or come join us for an evening of Green Drinks, networking, and fun this Friday evening at Revelations http://www.facebook.com/events/389870794357499/.
EcoFairfield 2012
Serve. Connect. Inspire.
Because our locals are awesome!
Want to design or model for the EcoJam Fashion Show?
This year’s ECOJam team is recruiting designers and models (all ages and experience welcome!) who wish to participate in the fashion show on Saturday, April 21st, 2012!
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EcoJam is an annual fashion show featuring garments made of recycled, vintage, or sustainability manufactured materials, designed and modeled by local people. See this short video to know what has been:
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Now that Ecofair has evolved into EcoFairfield, so too will EcoJam be bigger and better this year, and we’re hoping more inclusive.
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If interested in creating a clothing line for the show or modeling for a designer, please contact Grace: gracehartnett@gmail.com or Soangela: hardts@live.com (or by facebook)! with your full name, e-mail, & phone number.
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DEADLINE TO COMMIT = FEBRUARY 17TH (FRIDAY!).
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For futher information click here: http://www.facebook.com/events/337099276330266/
Spread the word. Please share this post.
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We would love to have you on board and co-create Fairfield’s most memorable EcoJam Fashion Show of all time!
Let’s get on with it.
EcoFairfield 2012 team
Serve. Connect. Inspire.
Because our locals are awesome!
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So what is EcoFairfield, anyway?
Howdy! Welcome to our blog.
Whoever you are you’re part of our community, and part of EcoFairfield. Why? Because to us Sustainability is about inclusiveness–about the interconnected world. We believe that when the relationships among us (people) and our environments are healthy, mutually beneficial, and strong, we will all enjoy greater happiness, and resilience in every way: ecologically, economically, psychologically, physically, culturally.
EcoFairfield grew out of an annual college EcoFair sustainability conference into the beginnings of a movement to serve, connect, and inspire the citizens of Fairfield, Iowa. Past EcoFairs highlighted specific aspects of sustainability and aimed to bring sustainability celebrities to Fairfield. Yet in the process of finding local experts for additional workshops, we realized there is a wealth of knowledge right here in Fairfield.
This year our focus is on sharing the knowledge of local experts, the excellence of local vendors and businesses, and local projects that anyone can participate in throughout the year. EcoFairfield is more than just an Earth Day weekend conference. April 20-22nd is an opportunity for us to join together in hands on community service, to learn and celebrate, to build relationships with local and regional mentors, to delight at what is possible during the EcoJam Fashion show, to connect with green jobs, strengthen local economy and volunteerism, and to plug-in to city-wide energy efficiency efforts to save on personal utility bills.
EcoFairfield is a growing collaboration of the city of Fairfield, Fairfield Public Library, Iowa State Extension, Fairfield Volunteer Center, Maharishi University of Management, MyLocal Cooperative, the Dharma Foundation, the Bonnell Building Project, and Fairfield Rotaract. All community members and organizations are invited to participate and join the organizing team. We look forward to participating in the Alliant Energy Hometown Rewards Program launch also taking place Earth Day Weekend.
So what is EcoFairfield, anyway?
It depends. What do you want it to be?
EcoFairfield 2012
Serve. Connect. Inspire.
Because our locals are awesome!
To keep on with EcoFairfield’s developments subscribe to our blog!
Connect with us http://www.facebook.com/EcoFairfield
Follow us on twitter http://www.twitter.com/EcoFairfield
Contact Minca Borg (Coordinating team) to learn more, share ideas, or get involved Call 641-233-1138
E-mail borgs108@gmail.com (expect reply within 3 days)
Or simply just comment below!
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EcoFairfield 