Sustainability Fair

In honor Shakori Hills’ emphasis on the earth, our dependence to it, and the need for sustainable habits and actions, we created the Sustainability Pavilion, under which we host this fair during each GrassRoots Festival. Currently, these workshops are available only during the festival, but stay tuned for more extended classes and offerings throughout the year.

The sustainability fair showcases some of the area’s best and most well-known experts in their fields. They speak to green practices as well as ways of educating ourselves and those around us on how we can best protect and sustain the environment on a global as well as community level.

The October Sustainability Fair Info will be announced soon. Last spring, the following mini-workshop and conferences were held:

Making and Using Biodiesel Fuel with Chris Jude and Rachel Burton of Piedmont Biofuels.
Chris and Rachel led a down and dirty, detailed presentation on this clean and renewable alternative fuel.  Information was presented on how to make one’s car, tractor, or home heating system an earth friendly machine! This discussion is a primer on what biodiesel is, how to use it, and lets you take part in a hands-on biodiesel mini-production.  Also, Piedmont was on hand for fuel sales in the parking lot by appointment. Rachel is a founder and head of the Research and Development department at Piedmont Biofuels.  Chris has run fuel production for the plant and now runs the Education and Design/Build departments.

Compost Conscious: “The Secret Life of Compost” with Bob and Camille Armantrout.  Bob and Camille are zero waste advocates who have been composting for more than a decade.  They presented basic composting techniques using low-tech, inexpensive methods that almost anyone can follow.

Public Transportation and its Role in Sustainable Communities with Allison Springer of Chatham Transit Network. Transportation touches everyone’s life.  It’s a subject intricately entwined with sustainability. Allison led us in an interactive brainstorming discussion about problems and solutions associated with sustainable public transportation that meets the community’s needs. Allison Springer possesses 10 years experience with Chatham Transit Network and has worn many hats from driver to transportation coordinator.

Energy Efficiency and Weatherization with Mark Bashista of Home Performance NC.
Mark Bashista is an energy auditor and weatherization expert who works primarily on existing construction. He possesses specialized expertise in retrofitting historical homes. Mark led an interactive discussion about home energy audits, energy efficiency, weatherization, retrofits, and tasks that homeowners and renters can implement to make their homes tighter and save money.

Grassroots Community Health Care with Valentine Antony of The Pittsboro Center for Natural Medicine.  The time has come to reclaim our health care independence. This discussion explored some grassroots alternatives to providing quality health and wellness in our communities, including investigation of new paradigms in medicine and healing and alternative health care models such as the Free Clinic. Valentine Antony is the Founder and Director of The Pittsboro Center for Natural Medicine and a certified Integrative Reflexologist.

Green Jobs with Laura Lauffer, Sustainable Technologies Coordinator at Central Carolina Community College. Everyone is talking about “Green Jobs,” but what does that mean? Every job could be a green job. You can increase the efficiency and sustainability at every place of work.  There are checklists and business plans, tax incentives and financial resources to get your green job mojo going. Laura leads us through this interactive session on the growing Green Jobs Industry in NC, training opportunities and ways you can make your workplace greener and more sustainable every day!

Common Ground for Peace & Justice with The Independent Progressive Politics Network  Our 12th Common Ground for Peace and Justice Forum gathered in open community space to share, dialogue and discover how to bring the energy and inspiration of Shakori Hills to our daily lives.  Let us hear your hopes, concerns and solutions.

Green Building Round Table with Michael Chandler of Chandler Design-Build, Inc.
Chandler Design-Build recently completed two cutting-edge affordable green projects that Michael discussed at this interactive session. The first was a green certified passive/active solar home for a family with a special needs child with environmental sensitivity that is projecting energy usage 45% less than code. The other is a super-efficient whole-house gut remodel of a 28’ x 28’ mill house.  Michael discussed strategies used that helped maximize value and economy while enhancing performance, livability and beauty. Michael and Beth have won numerous awards for green building, accessible design, and triple-bottom-line business practices and advocacy.

Grassroots Festival as a Social Enterprise: Modeled Structures for the Future of Capitalism by Jordan Puryear. Jordan is co-founder of the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Music Festival and the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival. He has been involved in organizing and running grassroots festivals since 1991.  Both Shakori Hills and the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Music festivals are operated as self-supporting, non-profit corporations whose mission is socially conscious.  Jordan leads a discussion of creating a socially conscious business enterprise or corporation and how these enterprises may contribute to community sustainability.