Green's color of the day at Cantigny's environmentally friendly fair

Anyone trying to be more environmentally friendly will find plenty of ideas and inspiration during this weekend's inaugural Green Fair at Cantigny Park near Wheaton.

More than 80 "green" vendors, including local businesses and nonprofit groups, will be on hand during Saturday's fair to educate visitors about the practical value of being environmentally responsible.

"There's many great green things going on in DuPage County," said Kay McKeen, founder of SCARCE, which is hosting the fair in partnership with Cantigny Park, Whole Foods and DuPage County. "We want to highlight some of the green things happening here and educate people about little things they can do that really add up."

The fair is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1S151 Winfield Road. Highlights include a farmers market, cooking demonstrations, a raffle and live music. There will be displays for beekeeping, a solar-powered oven, an energy bike and an electric car. "Eco-activities" for kids include recycled papermaking and super Crayons.

One of the main attractions is the daylong "recycling extravaganza," which will give members of the public the chance to drop off televisions, computers, cellular phones, scrap metal, hearing aids, keys, inkjet printer cartridges, plastic bottle caps, bicycles and vinyl records. Old or damaged American flags also will be collected for proper retirement. Hazardous waste such as paint and motor oil won't be accepted.

Another highlight will be the "Fashion EcoNista" show. Emceed by fashion designer Kristin Hassan, the show will feature "earth-positive clothing and accessories," such as purses made out of car seat belts and plastic bags and jewelry created out of aluminum cans. The show starts at 12:45 p.m. and concludes about 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, Batavia-based artist Joseph Gagnepain will transform scrap metal "trash" into art during several live demonstrations. One of the environment-themed pieces Gagnepain creates will be raffled as a prize during the fair, organizers said.

Art lovers will be able to check out the works of high school and college students who entered the recycled art contest. Entrants were required to use recycled materials or items that can be recycled to create their artwork. Judging will take place at the Green Fair before an 11 a.m. awards presentation.

Depending on the weather, between 5,000 to 6,000 people are expected to attend. McKeen said she hopes everyone who attends gets something out of it.

"We are thinking of this as a full circle kind of environmental event," McKeen said. "You can do something to help the environment, learn something or reinforce something you've always wanted to try."

For details, visit Cantigny.org or s-c-a-r-c-e.org.