9th Annual Sustainability Fair is a success

Sounds of festive music, the savory smell of barbeque, and an eye-catching view of more than 50 different blue tents dotting Lake Merritt and promoting their causes filled the breezy morning. 
Laney hosted Peralta’s 9th aAnnual EcoFest Sustainability Festival on April 23 by the estuary. The fair, whose slogan was “Health in all our Relations!”, celebrated wellness with respect to the environment, the economy, education, and within society as a whole.
With hundreds in attendance and dozens of participating vendors, schools and farms, EcoFest hosted music and dance performances, a smart transportation expo and a farmers’ market.
Companies ranging from small local programs to large organizations such as Sprint and the National Guard promoted their messages at the festival. 
Farming and organic, healthy eating was a largely highlighted topic at the event, as several booths urged attendees to become involved in farming. Multiple booths offered seeds, plants and pamphlets regarding organic eating. 
One such booth was that of the Activa Nan Verba: Youth Urban Farm project. Their program is dedicated to increasing youth involvement in farming to help communities develop a deeper connection with the lifestyle of their ancestors. 
“We want to get a lot more youth involved in urban gardening,” said Miss Vicky, one of the coordinators of the program. “What better place to be than here at Laney College.” 
A tent and banner advocating social change housed Bike East Bay and their representative David Mann. Mann described his group is an activist group fighting for safer biking conditions around the East Bay. 
As bicyclists riding in the streets annoy drivers and endanger the riders themselves, a large focus of this group is to create more bike lanes. Bike East Bay’s recent campaigns include a protected bike lane on Telegraph Avenue, as well as full access for bicycles on BART at all hours.
Education was another large focus of EcoFest, and programs at Laney certainly took the opportunity to advertise their assets. Everything from the English Department, Cosmetology Department, Equal Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), and the Chemistry Department had an area set up, with representatives ready to speak. 
This section of the fair also hosted Fab Lab, a new high tech shop class that will be available at Laney in the fall. Offering practices in areas such as 3D printing and CNC Routers, this class will be perfect for anyone with an interest in engineering or hands on practices.