With help from the event's official “green” sponsor, Missoula Federal Credit Union, the city's Sustainable Business Council will provide sustainable supplies, such as reusable cups, to weekend festival-goers, and will launch its “Think Local - Buy Local” campaign at the event.
The group, whose mission is to educate local residents on the broad topic of sustainability, hopes to raise awareness about how shopping locally can prevent dollars from escaping the Missoula area economy.
Displays about alternative energy sources, such as solar power, LED lighting and biomass generators, are also planned, along with a 14-station “Sustainability Challenge” designed to test citizens' knowledge of recycling, energy and water use.
The concept of supporting one's own community can make the biggest difference in quality of life, King said. It's why she hopes the new campaign and its push toward a “Think Local - Buy Local” mentality will help residents better grasp the importance of conscious buying decisions.
“Sustainability encompasses a broad view,” King said of the many issues the council considers vital to sustainability. “But the local economy affects everyone, and that's why keeping dollars here is so important.”
Among the benefits of buying local, King cited the creation of local jobs, necessary tax dollars to support public services (such as schools, parks and police) and “preserving and nurturing the uniqueness of Missoula.”
King, a longtime entrepreneur from the Mission Valley who owns several businesses and has a background in sustainable development, says SBC's presence at the weekend festival will also be a membership opportunity for local businesses and individuals.
Personal and nonprofit memberships are $50 and $100, respectively, she says.
Business memberships in the SBC begin at $100 and go up to $500, depending on the number of employees, King says, and provide endless opportunities for networking within the Missoula business community.
The member-to-member nonprofit has also slated activities for children that focus on recycling and other “green” tenets, including a station where kids can make musical instruments from recycled materials.
Sustainable Business Council board chairwoman Sue Anderson enlisted her own family to help create instrument prototypes, and a visual learning tool she calls “Sustain-A-Car.”
About 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide, Anderson's car is nearly the size of a high-mileage European Smart Car, and comes complete with painted-in passengers.
“Most importantly, it is made of recycled materials, and contains great facts about saving fuel,” she says.
Four learning stations on the handmade car feature facts designed to educate drivers about the ways they can get more miles for their money and lessen their environmental impact.
“Until I did research, I didn't know that (excess) weight in the back of the car, or tire pressure, can affect fuel performance,” said Anderson, a University of Montana College of Technology professor who lectures on issues of sustainability.
“By the way, if your tires are 5 pounds under the recommended pressure per square inch, it can increase your use of fuel by 10 percent,” she said.
King hopes more local business owners join the “Think Local - Buy Local” push by becoming members in the organization, and encouraged children, teens and adults to visit the SBC booth, which will be located on Main Street in front of the Central Park parking structure throughout the day Saturday and Sunday.
Reporter Lori Grannis can be reached at 523-5251 or at lori.grannis@lee.net.
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