Crowds Get Their Green On

Rain stayed away Sunday afternoon, as 1,400 people attended the 8th Annual Green Earth Fair at the Green Earth Institute.

Flocks of people came to the fair to learn about conservation, organic farming and other environmental tips. Booths, lectures and hand-on activities were utilized to educate the public on topics such as rain barrels, bio-diesel cars and green homes.

Glen Gutzke, 54, from Naperville is no stranger to the Green Earth Institute. His son built garden plots at the farm for his Eagle Scout project. But Gutzke admitted he hasn’t had a garden since high school. He attended his first Green Earth Fair with plans to start growing his own vegetables.

While at the fair Gutzke became intrigued in the use of natural fertilizer. He decided to buy some packages of the natural fertilizer for his new garden.

“I’m looking for safer alternatives,” Gutzke said. “The natural fertilizer is pretty interesting, but it’s pretty pricy. It would be hard to use it on the whole lawn.”

The fair also hosted a number of children activities. Some of the favorites included making musical instruments, petting live goats and playing in the kids’ garden.

Nathan, a 9-year-old from Naperville, took advantage of a booth from the DuPage County Environmental Education. The demonstration allowed individuals to ride a bicycle to power light bulbs.

Nathan struggled as he tried to produce enough power to light up four incandescent bulbs. The 9-year-old then discovered he could easily power three fluorescent bulbs and one LED light; those four light bulbs required the power of one incandescent to glow brightly.

“It was a lot easier to light the new light bulbs,” he said. “I thought it was cool to generate electricity through the bicycle.”

Martha Zoglauer, 53, of Naperville didn’t have any young children with her, but she was drawn to another children’s exhibit— the Truck Farm Chicago. The exhibit showcased a truck that houses a garden in its bed. The truck then makes stops in urban environments to help children connect to nature.

Zoglauer, a middle school teacher in Bolingbrook, said she wishes she could get to truck to her school.

“It’s just a great way to get young people involved in nature,” Zoglauer said. “Wouldn’t it be great to have a garden outside the school?”

The event also hosted an eclectic collection of 11 musical acts. Country, rock, traditional Japanese and even Indian music filled the air.

Amy Zoglauer, 18, of Naperville performed at the fair. She said it was excited to support the fair and to play in a unique location.

“Usually I’m stuck inside playing coffee houses,” Amy Zoglauer said. “This is a different environment. Plus, how many farms do we have in this area? This gives you that old fashion feeling.”