Sun Festival Southwest this weekend - Amy Goodman, environment, energy-sav

[housewolf]

Sun Festival Southwest this weekend - Amy Goodman, environment, energy-savings, workshops, music & more - Scottsdale


Thought some of you might be interested in this event coming up this weekend
Info:
http://www.sunfestival.net/

CELEBRATE A WEEKEND OF STAR POWER, MUSIC AND INNOVATION
AT SUN FESTIVAL SOUTHWEST
Over 200 Exhibitors, 50 Workshops and Dynamic Keynote Speakers Including
Hollywood Celebrities Ed Begley Jr. & Wendie Malick

Scottsdale, Ariz. –Sun Festival Southwest returns for its second year at WestWorld of Scottsdale on
Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, 2005 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This dynamic and evocative sun and
fun-filled educational weekend celebrates, generates and demonstrates renewable energy and healthy
living for the entire community.

Co-sponsored by the City of Scottsdale, Whole Foods, the Scottsdale Tribune and others, Sun Festival
Southwest features more than 200 exhibitors, over 50 workshops, cutting-edge keynote speakers and
some of the Valley’s top entertainers to educate, inform and inspire the public towards a sustainable,
healthy future.

“The success of last year’s event has proven that this is a necessary and vital educational opportunity for
anyone interested in learning more about renewable energy and healthy living,” says Sun Festival
Executive Producer Belle Starr. “When we become healthier, it’s amazing how everything around us
becomes healthier too, including our environment.”

Keynote speakers will discuss significant and relevant topics such as energy, ecological literacy, green
building, hydrogen, recycling, the environment and the greening of Hollywood. The exciting lineup
includes Hollywood celebrities and environmental activists Wendie Malick (two-time Emmy and
Golden Globe nominee known for her role on TV’s Just Shoot Me) and Ed Begley, Jr. (movie and
television actor well-known for his role on St. Elsewhere). Also included is: Michael Toms, founder,
producer and host of New Dimensions Radio, heard on over 300 stations nationwide; Chef Mollie
Katzen, author of the influential Moosewood Cookbook series; Amy Goodman, host and executive
producer of Democracy Now!, a national award-winning TV news program, and co-author of the
national best-seller The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians; and Dr. Doris Rapp,
best-selling author on environmental health hazards and outspoken critic on the dangers of mosquito
abatement spraying in Phoenix, Arizona.

Primatologist, scientist and environmental activist Jane Goodall, internationally known for her
groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees in Africa will deliver a special Sun Festival video message.
The Green Marketplace will host a large variety of exhibitors showcasing health-inspired products and
services, ranging from green home remodeling to yoga and meditation. The Alternative Vehicle Area
will display today’s alternative energy vehicles alongside those of the future. The City of Scottsdale
Pavilion will showcase their innovative green building program, one of only a few in the nation.
More than 50 educationally inspirational workshops will address topics related to renewable energy, the
natural home, green building, desert living, food and farming, water and social change.
Entertainment on the main stage will include musicians such as the talented William Eaton Ensemble
and Meadowlark. Grammy Nominee Native American Hoop Dancer Tony Redhouse will perform a
special blessing ceremony on Saturday. Guitar virtuoso Scott Beck will play songs from the heart and
Ben Jamin’ will belt out big band standards.

The Sun Kids Play Village, hosted by The Village Connection and Roots & Shoots, which is Jane
Goodall’s children’s environmental/peace organization, will provide families the necessary space to care
for family needs and provide interactive activities and presentations for children. The Village provides
an atmosphere where children can develop connections to the environment through playful games and
other learning opportunities. Exciting activities include: a zoo with presentations on "special" animals
(endangered animals, animals affected by urban sprawl and animal habitats native to Arizona); a stage
theater with interactive one-act plays and puppet shows about the environment; live children's music;
dancers; a magician; a recycled art center; interactive gardens; yoga; and healthy snacks and beverages.
The Sun Kids Play Village benefits the Children's Health Environmental Coalition.

On Friday, April 29, Sun Festival Southwest and the Arizona Chapter of the U.S. Green Building
Council will host the special seminar An Idiot’s Guide to Green Building from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at
Monterra restaurant at WestWorld of Scottsdale. This free three-hour seminar is open to all commercial
and residential contractors who are interested in learning more about green building. There will be two
45-minute seminars on green commercial and residential building led by contractors who have gone
“green” followed by an open panel discussion that will address topics such as The City of Scottsdale’s
green building permitting incentives, legislative issues, and utility rebates available for solar
installations. Seminar participants will have complimentary admission to Sun Festival Southwest.

On Sunday, the Sun Festival Solar Home Bike Tour, hosted by the Arizona Bike Club, will take place
from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. to promote alternative forms of transportation and demonstrate that biking is the
cleanest, most efficient way to commute. Registration begins at 6 a.m. at the main entrance to Sun
Festival Southwest and is limited to the first 150 cyclists. The ride is a 20-30 mile loop that starts and
ends at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Stops along the way will include renewable/green homes in the area
such as the world’s first hydrogen powered home. This will be the only opportunity for patrons to visit
the hydrogen house featuring state of the art technologies. Participation in the bike ride is free to
registered riders, and all participants will be granted free admission to Sun Festival on Sunday.

The McDowell Mt. Music Festival, a two-day music and cultural event, will take place at WestWorld on
Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30. Attendees to the McDowell Mt. Music Festival will be granted
complimentary access to Sun Festival. For more information, call [phone] or visit
www.mmmf.net.