Expositions on Green Living in Austin

This past weekend was the Green Living Expo at the Austin convention center and I was there representing Yarn Harvest.  For those that don’t know, the Green Living Expo bills itself as Austin’s green lifestyle event, where you can find all aspects of greenness for your life.  I was both excited to be a part of, and curious to see what a “green lifestyle” meant to everyone at the expo.

The actual event was held in one of the huge rooms of the convention center.  The hosts did a great job sprucing up the space… they even brought in small trees to greet everyone as they entered.  The event was very well attended, both by exhibitioners and attendees.  Row upon row were filled with all sorts of stuff.  Everything from electric cars and concrete wall kits to handmade pasta and gardening tools.  There was even an entire section filled with hot-tubs.

Yarn Harvest was part of the Go Local Austin set-up.  We were a bunch local artisans who had banded together to share the price of the booth.  I could have in no way afforded a booth on my own, so even though it was a tad cramped with all the 15 artisans sharing the space, I think we were all happy to be there.  In fact, I think that we were some of the most energetic and fun vendors at the entire show.

And I had the best time getting to know my fellow Go Local vendors.  Over the course of the three days of the event, I really got to know each of them, as well as what their products meant to them.  On one side was Terra, who’s stained-glass mosaics were a way to add splashes of color to the little moments in life.  On the other side was Christy, who’s soy candles were illuminating new uses for the soybean plant.  Add in the wonderful attendees we met the whole time and we were a very diverse group of people and products.  So much so that it got me thinking about what a “green lifestyle” meant to me.

The green stuff, including the hot-tubs, was nice to see, but ultimately, it was the people who were at the Green Living Expo that made it “green.”  I know for sure that Yarn Harvest and I did our part to contribute.  I’m definitely going to sustain our new-found relationships through the HOPE Farmer’s Market, and hopefully we can all pull together for a lifestyle that’s a little more local, a little more connected, and a little more enjoyable for all.

Your looking forward to May blogger,

Greg