Okanagan Greens Society

Okanagan Greens Society says Thanks!

For Immediate Release

September 19, 2011:

Kelowna –

Thank you to the Okanagan community for their spirit and support shown at the 6th Annual Organic Okanagan Festival (OOF)! This year’s festival was a great success, with both familiar faces and many new friends collaborating to present what may have been our finest event yet.

With 900 guests joining 72 Okanagan businesses and organizations, the event highlighted green living awareness and raised $1560 in food & funds for the Kelowna Community Food Bank. For the first time the OOF was hosted at the Centre for Learning on the Kelowna campus of Okanagan College, and for the sixth consecutive year at Kelowna’s certified organic vineyard, Summerhill Pyramid Winery.

Key highlights from the 2011 OOF:

With the help of GreenStep and the Green Police volunteers, we diverted 91% of event waste from the landfill into composting and recycling. Our OOF bus shuttle was very well received with 280 rides utilized between the two venues. 91 cyclists attended the OOF this year, enjoyed free admission and used the Kelowna Area Cycling Coalition bike valet service. Presentation highlights included the fabulous local music, African drumming & dancing, the 3rd annual consignment fashion show and the provocative, standing-room-only keynote address by Lucy Sharratt of CBAN, all in addition to a wonderful new lineup of films and presentations at Okanagan College.

The Okanagan Greens Society extends our warmest thanks to all of you! We were overwhelmed by the dedication of this year’s volunteer team, our amazing supportive sponsors, the incredible group of exhibitors and by the many sincere thanks expressed by Okanagan community members.

Our hard work and new initiatives this year successfully alleviated parking pressures at Summerhill, opened space for growth and new partnerships at Okanagan College, and created a diverse set of options for all to consider going forward.

Comments are welcome using our contact form at www.okanagangreens.ca

6th Annual Organic Okanagan Festival is one week away!!

The green countdown has begun for the 6th Annual Organic Okanagan Festival (OOF) on Sunday September 18, 2011 from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm!

Fascinating 2011 OOF facts:

1. We have an unprecedented 72 exhibitors in 2 locations!

2. We have chartered 1 school bus to bring 48 guests at a time from Okanagan College to Summerhill Winery and back, every 20 minutes on a free day-long loop!

3. We are expecting to raise 2500 lbs. of food in 1 day for the Kelowna Community Food Bank!

4. The BCSEA is raffling tickets for Electric Vehicle test rides and hoping to raise $800 for the solar hot water system at the Habitat for Humanity house in West Kelowna.

5. At 2010 OOF we diverted 90% of our waste from the landfill into recycling and composting and will do the same or even better this year.

6. We have 8 surprise Okanagan celebrities in our Community Consignment fashion show!

7. We have 15 incredible presenters & entertainers including Lucy Sharratt, Andrew Hay, Ari Neufeld and 1 eco-elf!

Click here for the Okanagan College OOF exhibitor map.

Click here for the Summerhill Winery OOF exhibitor map.

Click here for the OOF bus shuttle schedule.

Here are some of the great happenings in September!

1. Thursday September 1st - Green Drinks, Kelowna’s sustainability networking event, is taking place this Thursday, September 1st from 5:00 pm -7:00 pm at Doc Willoughby’s pub in Kelowna. Come on out and meet, mingle, and network with a lively mixture of sustainability-minded people!

2.    Monday September 5th - Happy Canning Day! And please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are coming to the...

3.    Wednesday September 7th – Organic Okanagan Festival Volunteer Orientation Meeting at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. All volunteers welcome with an RSVP first - we need final numbers for the lip-smacking free organic pizza and wine!

5.    Thursday September 15th – Raise the Roof at The Anthill Collective Launch Party! Join Us for the Exclusive Unveiling of the Ant Hill Collective Co-Work Space Concept 5:00 – 11:00 pm @ The Laurel Packing House on Cawston and Ellis http://www.anthillcollective.ca.

6.    Sunday September 18th - The 6th Anniversary Organic Okanagan Festival is going to be MAGNIFICENT with projected 1600 attendees and 2500lbs food raised for the Kelowna Community Food Bank!

7.    Sunday September 25th – You are invited to attend 2011 Car Free Day, Sunday, September 25 from 11 am to 4 pm in Stuart Park and on Water Street, across from City Hall. For more information, contact lindsay[at]globalaffinity.ca

2011 Organic Okanagan Poster is groovy!

Click here to view & download the 6th Annual OOF poster! Thanks to Patricia Rantucci of Garbin Graphics for the great design!

We are currently building the 2011 OOF volunteer team; we always appreciate lots of help with our events! If you would like to volunteer, please fill in the on-line contact form and you will receive volunteer team info!

OOF News!

We are announcing a new partnership! We are collaborating with the BC Sustainable Energy Association and hosting an Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Show at the 2011 Organic Okanagan Festival and would even like to offer test drives as live raffle prizes at the college site. For more information click here.

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