ENVIRONMENTALISTS BRAVE WEATHER FOR FIRST ANNUAL GREENFEST

BOSTON, Mass (9/28/08)-- With rain clouds looming, a reduced crowd turned out at City Hall Plaza Sunday for the first annual Boston Greenfest, an event designed to raise awareness of new developments in environmental initiatives.

While heavy rain deterred many and forced the festival to condense from two days to just one, organizers said the festival was still a success and accomplished what they set out to do.

“We were expecting 30,000 people over two days,” said Jennifer Boudrie, a board member of the Foundation for a Green Future, the organizers of the event. “Obviously the rain has reduced the number of people, but many still came and the people who did come are very interested in what we have to say.”

The festival has expanded somewhat since its beginnings as “AltWheels,” a festival dedicated solely to alternate forms of energy and transportation. This is the first year that the festival has included other areas of environmental concerns as well, and the name changed to reflect that.

“We’re really proud of the diversity here today,” said Boudrie. “It’s an opportunity for all of Boston to come together and work on sustainability.”

The large event consisted of two stages where performers and speakers were scheduled throughout the day, a workshop tent, a video tent, a children’s area, four tents lined with exhibitors, and a special tent called the “time tunnel,” where visitors could see the effect of environmental damage over the years.

The exhibitors consisted of non-profit organizations , small businesses, larger businesses and sponsors such as Home Depot, a national chain of home improvement stores. Some exhibits were simple demonstrations, such as the “magic energy bike,” which allowed visitors to see just how much less energy a compact fluorescent bulb uses by pedaling a bike to power both.

The dominant presence at the event were non-profit organizations looking to change environmental policies in Boston and Massachusetts.

One such group was Secure Green Future, who advocated a goal of 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for Massachusetts by 2020. The current goal is 10 percent, with 80 percent by 2050.

Leon Raykin, a spokesperson for the group, said that while that goal is in line with “politics,” he believes a much greater reduction is possible.

“We’re a lot more optimistic than other initiatives, but we think we can really reduce the carbon footprint significantly in Massachusetts,” said Raykin. The group has been able to get a question on the November ballots in several districts, prompting voters if they would like to ask their state representatives to try to attain this goal.

Although the environment didn’t exactly play nice with the environmentalists, the organizers maintained that despite the heavy rainfall, they believe the event was a success and will return next year.

"You’ll see more festivals in Boston and other areas,” said Boudrie. “They’re becoming very popular. It’s completely free to come and be inspired and learn about the environment.”