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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2009

Contact: Marli Rupe 802-287-8339
pmnrcd@sover.net
Ina Smith 802-287-9580
inajsmith@hughes.net

The 2nd Annual
Poultney Earth Fair:
“GROWING GREENER TOGETHER”
Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2009

On Wednesday, April 22, 2009 Poultney High School will again be the site for the Poultney Earth Fair. This annual Earth Day celebration will be bigger and better and will run from 2:30 to 6:00 PM.

This year's program features activities for kids, free food, interactive displays, lots of handouts and a raffle—all with a greening focus on the environment. Live music will be provided throughout the event by the local talent of the Old Time Folk Ensemble and Spruce Knob Uprising.

Poultney High School students will select local seasonal toppings for fresh pizzas that will be baked in the Northeast Organic Farming Association's (NOFA) portable oven. The pizzas and other regional food will be provided free of charge to all hungry comers.

While last year’s “Affordable Green” theme introduced options for individuals to green their lives and save money, this year’s Fair is focused on creating collaborations that integrate green ideas into everyday life, while building lasting community relationships.

Examples of these projects are:

• The Slow Food Club at GMC and the PHS Food Club will prepare delicious maple treats using maple syrup from Green’s Sugarhouse
• Poultney Elementary School and Green Mountain College’s Herbal Tribe are creating natural teas and salves
• The Poultney Area Artists' Guild is working with PES students on large puzzle pieces to create an interlocking nature display
• The DREAM program and PES students will make bird feeders

Some of the nearly 40 activities and displays include:

• A laser hunting simulation by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Hunter Education program
• Music from Nature created with found natural "instruments”
• Tie-dying your own T-shirt
• Run a bicycle-powered blender to create a delicious smoothie
• Natural bird feeders made by the DREAM program and PES students
• Tree seedlings for sale by the Champlain Valley Restoration Nursery
• Making hat and costume creations for GMC's Saturday parade down Poultney’s Main Street

In addition to students, teachers, schools, community groups, and businesses, many groups from all over Vermont will participate this year: Vermont’s Farm to School Program (VT FEED), the Poultney-Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD), Rutland Area Farm and Food Link, Merck Forest and Farmland Center, Rutland Solid Waste District, and the 4H Club, and many others.

One of the primary goals of “Growing Greener Together” is to encourage students and adults to initiate projects and partnerships that will lead the town of Poultney into a greener future. Everyone will discover that there are many environmental and human resources available to them…from their community, from around Vermont, and from each other.