Green expo grows in its second year at McHenry County College

From recycled sneakers to hundreds of pop cans that can help heat a home, environmental innovations were on display Saturday at McHenry County College's Bioneers Symposium.

More than 40 local vendors specializing in green products took part in the second annual expo, which was hosted by the college's Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute. Dozens of speakers presented information ranging from water conservation and quality to environmental health and medicine.

"We wanted people to be able to take something with them that they could use," said Anne Basten, a member of the Bioneers steering committee at MCC and also the McHenry County Conservation District. "Everyone has a different approach to being green, and we hope they can find something they can do and that they are comfortable with to make a difference."

Basten said the symposium attracted 10 more vendors than last year.

Bioneers was a term first used in 1990 to describe what was then an emerging culture. The term describes people who are social and scientific innovators who work to understand how nature works and to mimic how nature operates.

Kim Willis of McHenry said she attended the event to support local green businesses and to find out what green goods and services are available.

"Today I wanted to see what the green business community looked like," Willis said. "I do a lot of advocacy ... but I wanted to see what is out there for businesses. If I ever need something, I want to be able to choose the best vendors."