The Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s climate education committee hosted its third annual Climate Action Fair on Sunday at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. This year’s theme was Greening Vineyard Landscapes, with an emphasis on sustainable living.
Liz Durkee, climate change coordinator at the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, helped organize the event with a goal of highlighting how individuals can become more engaged.
“One of the big goals of this fair is to provide specific things people can do to take action and to inspire them to take action,” Ms. Durkee said.
For the first time, Brazilian Portuguese translators and translated pamphlets and materials were available.
“We’re trying really hard to engage the Brazilian community in the Climate Action Fair and we really want [the fair] to be a real community event and get everyone involved,” Ms. Durkee said.
Organizations were divided into numerous subcategories, including land use, natural resources and biodiversity, food security, energy transformation, public health and safety, transportation infrastructure, waste and economic resilience.
The Vineyard Conversation Society highlighted the benefits of maintaining a smaller lawn and how to take care of a lawn with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. They also promoted upcoming events, such as the Environmental Film Festival, running May 23 to 26 at the film center, and their Beach Befrienders cleanups, which take place on the fourth Saturday of each month.
“Our mission is about advocacy and education,” said Jennifer Blum, president of the board. “It’s important to have an educated public.”
Ms. Blum added that many of the organizations involved are interconnected, collaborating on events and programs throughout the year.
“We all want the best for the Island,” Ms. Blum said. “However, what you think is the best may not be what I think is the best, so the question is, how do we find common ground?”
Island Eats encouraged attendees to partake in their reusable takeout container program. Twenty restaurants participate in the program, which encourages members to order food in Island Eats reusable containers which are then returned to the restaurant to be cleaned and used again.
Sydney Pigott, education coordinator and camp director at Felix Neck, said she liked interacting with other Island organizations at the climate fair.
“It’s so special to have like-minded people here and to get face time with people who live here and not necessarily know what we’re doing and engage with them,” Ms. Pigott said.
Panels also focused on resilient landscaping and how to combat wildfire risk. A biochar demo helped familiarize attendees with the subject and how it can be used to make farms more productive and healthier.
Os Naftalinas, a Brazilian pop band, entertained attendees outside of the hall, while Goldie’s Rotisserie food truck, Cottage City Oysters and Catboat Coffee served food and drinks.
“What’s really great about this fair is that all these organizations that are working on various pieces of the climate change issues are all in one room,” Ms. Durkee said. “You can find out what everyone is doing and it’s a great collaboration.”
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