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One hundred local businesses and environmental vendors lined Main Street Friday evening as part of the A2Zero Green Fair. University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor community members viewed demonstrations of electric vehicles, solar panels and sustainable T-shirt printing vendors that lined the avenue.
The event kicked off at 6 p.m. with a bike parade headed by Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor and Lord Mayor Boris Palmer trailing shortly behind in a bike trailer. Palmer hails from one of Ann Arbor’s sister cities, Tübingen, Germany, and spoke at the downtown district library last Wednesday to discuss Tübingen’s efforts to become carbon neutral.
Taylor said in an interview with The Michigan Daily that he believed the fair would help educate the Ann Arbor community and encourage people to take the necessary incremental steps toward achieving the A2Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan. The A2Zero plan is a city-wide environmental project that aims to make Ann Arbor carbon neutral by 2030.
“The advancement of our A2Zero plan, it requires that all members of our community participate,” Taylor said. “It’s not a top-down operation. It’s something where we buy in at the micro-, nano-level. Having the Green Fair gives people an opportunity to see what the organization is doing, to see what the other nonprofits are doing, but also, crucially, to understand and learn what you, as an individual, can do.”
Jennifer Wolf, the city’s senior analyst for engagement, told The Daily that this year’s goal for the Green Fair was to educate individuals on the many facets of decarbonization and living a more sustainable lifestyle.
“It gives people a chance to find their passion,” Wolf said. “So maybe your passion is food, maybe your passion is biking, maybe your passion is water resources. You can find that connection here and go beyond educating to doing and joining.”
Encouraging community members to take action can help combat feelings of hopelessness in the face of climate change, according to Wolf.
“The one thing we don’t want people to do in this process is lose hope and just feel like nothing (they) do matters,” Wolf said. “Because the truth is, we have a lot of opportunity as individuals to have a huge impact.”
As part of the Green Fair, the parking lot on William and Main was converted into a temporary EV test-drive center to promote National Drive Electric Week. The Legacy Land Conservancy introduced attendees to some of the animals that live in its nature preserves to educate them about the importance of respecting wildlife. The Food Gatherers booth looked to redirect the stream of food waste and help individuals eat more sustainably.
The fair marks the beginning of the A2Tech360 week of technological innovation. Throughout A2Tech360 week, Ann Arbor SPARK will team up with local and national sponsors to organize events to educate and engage the public about advancements in sustainable technology.
The city of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations headlined these projects by showcasing new EV technology and infrastructure. A2Zero Solarize, alongside A2Zero Home Energy Advisor Walker-Miller, sought to educate visitors on the benefits of solar and how to economically add solar to their lives.
This fair comes at an important time for Ann Arbor, according to Wolf, with Ann Arbor’s 2030 carbon neutrality goal steadily approaching.
“The way we look at it is, we have our 2030 goal, and we’re all pushing as hard as we can, and we’re going to get as close as we can,” Wolf said. “What I really appreciate about the Green Fair … is the positive framing. Climate change is super scary.”
Taylor said the Green Fair emphasizes the importance of recognizing and acting on the climate crisis as a community.
“In Ann Arbor, we know that climate change is real,” Taylor said. “We know it’s our obligation to do something about it. We know our environment is precious. We know it’s our obligation to protect it, and the Green Fair is a place where we come together and celebrate what we’re able to do and look to work on what we are hopefully doing later on.”
LSA senior Claire Tuttle told The Daily she attended the event because she is passionate about the environment and seeing members of the community gathered together for a good cause.
“I love bringing awareness to more green and sustainability practices,” Tuttle said. “I enjoyed how it brings the community together … seeing all the people of all ages, not just the college, was a really cool display of what the Ann Arbor community stands for.”
Daily Staff Reporter Mia Barr can be reached at barrmia@umich.edu.
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