A2ZERO Green Fair brings sustainability education and fun to downtown Ann Arbor

The A2ZERO Green Fair, a free sustainability event along Ann Arbor's Main Street, will take place this Friday, Sept. 20, from 5-8 p.m. Main Street will be activated with exhibitors offering various resources, creative and interactive demonstrations, education, live music, and games. Attendees will have the opportunity to stroll the exhibits and learn about innovative ways to live sustainably – as well as interact with visiting residents of Ann Arbor's German sister city.

Hosted by Ann Arbor's Office of Sustainability and Innovations, the Green Fair annually brings together local residents who are interested in taking action to achieve community-wide carbon neutrality. Dr. Missy Stults, director of the Office of Sustainability and Innovations, is enthusiastic about the event. 

“Together, we are making tremendous progress towards this goal, and we hope folks will stop by, join the fun, see what is new and exciting, and find ways to engage," she says.

Over 80 nonprofit, governmental, and commercial exhibitors will be able to answer attendees' questions. This will allow individuals to learn and find resources to support sustainable action, including but not limited to the circular economy, solar and renewable energy, plant-based foods, climate resiliency, and more. 

Residents of Ann Arbor's sister city, Tübingen, Germany, will also be present for the event. Both communities have a plan to be carbon neutral by 2030.  The city's lord mayor, city planner, city councillors, and other officials will attend the fair. Tübingen officials will discuss transportation, the circular economy, climate action, affordable housing, and land use and planning with Ann Arborites.

Green Fair attendees are encouraged to bring an upcycled cotton T-shirt to print at a sustainable screen-printing station, or to bring a small gadget that needs repairing to the All Hands Active Repairsteam for an on-site tutorial. More details on the fair can be found here. 

Clifton Kirkman II is a freelance journalist, father, sickle cell warrior, and minister at New Macedonia Church in Ypsilanti. He was born in Detroit and has lived in Ypsilanti since 2005.

Photo courtesy of the city of Ann Arbor.