Myrna Molina of Aurora says she is a big guardian of the environment, so it in only natural she dropped by the Old Post Office in downtown Aurora on Saturday for GreenFest, an event focused on sustainability and green living.
“I’ve come to this GreenFest in Aurora every year they’ve had it,” Molina said. “Having come to this for over a decade, I enjoy the community gathering together over the specific goals of making sure we’re keeping our planet as healthy and sustainable as possible.”
The event was offered by the city of Aurora in collaboration with the Mayor’s Sustainable Aurora Advisory Board and Aurora GreenLights, an affiliate of The Conservation Foundation, and featured the theme of “Make a Difference! Be Energy Smart!”
Over 100 exhibitors were on hand Saturday at the event’s new location at the Old Post Office at 18 W. Benton St. The event had been held for many years previously at the Prisco Community Center in Aurora.
“We’re now at the Old Post Office on Benton and this is a building that was misused and deserted for five to 10 years and now we’re breathing life into this beautiful historical building and life into downtown Aurora and it’s something I’m really excited about,” GreenFest founder and chair Mavis Bates said.
Bates added that as she “drives around the city I see people becoming more energy-conscious.”
“You now see more solar panels on people’s roofs and people are driving more EV cars and more are aware of putting better windows and insulation on their houses to save energy,” she said. “Since 2010, there have been plenty of green things that have happened in our community and GreenFest has been a leader in making and raising the consciousness of people.”
Along with exhibitors helping festival-goers learn more about energy efficiency and sustainability, the event on Saturday also featured an outdoor Zumba class, an electric car show on Benton Street, a performance from the 40-Plus Double Dutch Club, a DJ, food vendors and more.
Nancy Martinez of Aurora was at the event showcasing her business, Nide Jardin, a shop at 140 S. River St., Unit 106, in Aurora that includes plants and self-care products.
Martinez said she wanted to be part of GreenFest “because I think it’s important we start talking about sustainability and I’m a big believer of people starting to plant and grow their own things.”
Molina also said sustainability is a big issue right now.
“I don’t have an EV car yet, but I’ve been planting native gardens in my own back yard,” Molina said. “We’re also doing sustainability practices where we don’t do plastic bags. We carry our reusable bags and water bottles. We don’t do plastic in our home and make sure we’re doing the best we can.
“I think this event helps families come in and see what’s available, what little things they can do and to teach the kids (about the environment),” she said.
Marianne Longo of Aurora dropped by the event on Saturday and said she enjoys coming to the festival.
“To me, it looks like this has really expanded and our daughter is graduating this year from the University of Illinois with a degree in sustainability,” Longo said. “She is line with all this too and we’re looking for opportunities. Over the years, we’ve done a lot of ‘up-cycling.’ Things that other people would throw away, we reuse them.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
