Inside the Evangelical Community Church on Monday, stations with pamphlets and small-scale demonstrations taught participants ways to lower their environmental footprint.
Before people began rotating through the stations, pastor Bob Whitaker gave a convocation explaining how the environmental fair is related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He said environmental issues disproportionately affect the poor because they have fewer tools to change their circumstances.
Molly O’Donnell has been involved with Earth Care Bloomington, which helped organize the event, for the past 10 years. Earth Care is a community of faith groups that are concerned about climate change, according to its website. She said she understands that people can feel overwhelmed when thinking about saving the environment.
“If we do it all ourselves — spread the word and help others — it’s not impossible,” O’Donnell said.
At the event, participants could take a survey that showed steps to take in their lives to help reduce their environmental footprint by 35%. The event also included a raffle and energy-saving giveaways intended help participants become more environmentally friendly.
Each of the nine stations were set up to educate community members about the changes they can make to their everyday lives to help the environment. The stations covered topics such as transportation methods, preventing food waste, laundry methods, solar power, appliances and water heaters.
Avena Koenigoberger, who owns Green Camino, which is a curbside composting business, ran one of the stations at the fair. The Bloomington business picks up compostable waste from people’s houses and apartments and changes it into compostable soil sold to local farmers.
Koenigoberger said there are three major ways to help the environment through your food: by trying to limit your waste, composting what you do waste and eating more locally grown food.
Kasandra Housley, an event volunteer and political science instructor at Ivy Tech Community College, said climate change issues should not be political issues.
“This is important to me because the earth is important to me,” Housley said. “I have two beautiful daughters, and every winter there isn’t enough snow for them to play in. I don’t know the world they’re going to face.”
