On Saturday, April 2017, the Piedmont Environmental Alliance held an Earth Day Fair at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.  The theme of this year’s earth day fair was “Every Drop Counts,” which has been a very relevant topic because it is a global issue.

“There is only a small percentage of water available to drink, I think it is 0.7 percent,” said Sierra Club member John Calhoun.  “It is a limited resource, so that any drop of water counts, and we should all make it a community effort to conserve water.”

At this event there was an array of activities for people of all ages,  including trying food and drinks, enjoying live music, demonstrations, debates, information and art.  

Some of the food companies that were present included Village Juice Co., Dewey’s Bakery, Angie’s Italian Ice, Café Gelato, Hickory Tree Turkey BBQ and King Queen #1 Haitian Cuisine.

Throughout the day there were various debates with topics such as “Fracking: is it worth it?”, “Should we use wastewater for the purpose of drinking?”, and “Corporations should control our water.”

“I was at the debate for the earth day fair for the finals of a speech and debate tournament I participated in for the class Speech and Debate Ⅱ,” said Mt. Tabor sophomore Julia Dahl.  “My debate topic was whether or not municipalities should recycle more wastewater for the purpose of drinking.  I enjoyed debating.”

Other activities were water seminars and environmental education talks that included subjects like “How to Spend Less on Your Monthly Water Bill,” “Thirsty Cities: Water’s Journey to Your Tap,” “Mighty Yadkin River: Sustaining Our Primary Water Source,”  “Is Your Backyard a Thriving Urban Ecosystem?” and “Water Conservation: A Campus Approach to a Global Issue.”

Booths of all kinds filled the area and spectators gathered to learn more about them, the earth and the environment.

“I heard about this event through school and I thought it sounded interesting so I wanted to come check it out,” sophomore Susie Douglas said. “This is my first year going to the Earth Day Fair, but I am enjoying it so far.”

While some people came to learn or see what the event was all about, booths also came for a variety of reasons.

“I’m on the board of directors for the Imagine Installation,” said booth representative Tim Johnson. “We have been at the Earth Day Fair ever since we have begun, and it is really fun to watch the kids dream of what they want for the future.”

Some vendors came to see what the kids attending wanted for the future while others came to share their cause and to inform.

“I am here because I am working on a project called ‘Your Bottle Means Jobs’, to promote more plastic bottle recycling because we are using this tact to make jobs for people and to care for the environment,” said Blair Polack. “Our call to action is that every 30,000 bottles recycled means 300 new jobs.”

There was much to learn about the environment and sustainability from this event.  As there were an abundance of booths, and people of all ages, races and genders, it is easy to tell that Earth Day means many different things to people.

“Earth Day is a good way for people to come communicate with each other and introduce new businesses to the public,” said representative vendor Susan Sargeant.  “It is also good revenue for the city and people get to know each other.  But the most important part is that people can find places for good produce that is natural.”

For some, the Earth Day Fair is a good community event, but for others Earth Day is something more personal.

“Earth day reinforces my commitment to be a good steward and make sure we have the earth available for our future generations,”  said Summer Ventures worker Trisha Corbett.

Not only was the Earth Day Fair good for informing many about the environment, but it was also a good way to meet new people, help people find local resources, and provide an opportunity to get involved in local clubs.