The 15th Annual Sustainable Living Fair kicks off Saturday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. in Legacy Park in north Fort Collins.
According to the Sustainable Living Association (SLA), the host of the event, the fair is expected to attract more than 11,000 people over the weekend, making it the largest of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region.
While the event has snowballed into a massive event, it owes its humble birth to Colorado State University.
Addy Elliott, a soil and crop sciences instructor at Colorado State, was on the team of CSU students and faculty who dreamed up the first fair in 2000.
“The same idea that exists today as the Sustainable Living Fair, but in a much less polished package, started in the basement of the Student Center,” Elliott said.
The original fair hosted musicians, children’s activities, Waldorf school representatives, farmers and a couple of milking goats that harvested grass on the plaza.
Now, the much larger occasion features solution-based events formulated to inform on a variety of subjects from green building to natural health.
The fair strives for sustainability by exclusively using alternative energy, encouraging biking with free bike valet and going ‘beyond recycling’ to reach a ‘zero waste goal.’
The Sustainable Living Fair will spotlight four keynote speakers, including Kim Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of New Belgium Brewing Company. In previous years, the fair has drawn in speakers like Yvon Chouinard and Gary Erickson, founders of Patagonia and Clif Bar respectively.
“I think it’s a draw across the whole region, to come to Fort Collins for the Sustainable Living Fair,” Elliott said. “It’s so much fun and pretty applicable to everyone.”
More information on ticket prices and hours can be found on the SLA website.
Collegian Reporter Luke Hyce can be reached at news@collegian.com and on Twitter @Luke_hyce.
