By Julie Thibodeaux. Photos by Karl Thibodeaux


Ecofest Arlington couldn’t have planned better weather on Saturday. The mild sunny day drew a record crowd of about 18,000, according to Heather Dowell, organizer for the fest. 

“We had a great year and thank Mother Nature for the wonderful weather we received,” said Dowell. “We are thrilled that we keep growing a little every year.”

The event, hosted by the city of Arlington spanned a few blocks around the Levitt Pavillion and featured more than 40 green vendors, hawking everything from soy candles to free trees. 

The Arlington Conservation Council stayed busy all day manning one of the most innovative booths, under a banner that read “Fix It Green.” Featuring salvaged sinks, showers and hot water heaters, the exhibit displayed more than a dozen examples of hardware homeowners could change out themselves. Signage showed how much money it would save. 

Danny Kocurek, an emergency room doctor and president of the Arlington Conservation Council, pictured left, was the mastermind behind the exhibit.

“Our target audience is not the sustainably minded but the other 99 percent,” said Kocurek. “Most people don’t care about the planet but they want to save 50 bucks a year.” 

Volunteers explained LEDs vs CFLs, the trickle valve on their shower heads and how to reduce “phantom load” by unplugging appliances not in use. After getting schooled in home energy efficiency, they were eligible for a drawing of a rechargeable lawnmower.

“We have no way of telling how many people visited the Fix it Green booth but I can tell you they were there before we officially opened at 10 a.m. and they were still reading while we were taking the exhibit apart at 6 p.m.,” said Kocurek, via Facebook.

Here are some other folks we ran into:  

Rahb, left, from The Garden of Eden eco-village, was giving away fresh herbs.







Stephanie Cunningham, above right, of Texas Organic Lawn Care, said her company offers eco-friendly lawn care services to more than 100 clients in the DFW area.

Solar engineer Dan Lepinski was powering the outdoor music stage with his solar trailer.

Lepinski, who has been in the solar business for more than 40 years, was also cooking up dinner with his retro solar-powered oven, pictured below. 



 


 


 


 


Left, Troy Loveday, shows off Pippin, a red-shouldered hawk, from the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center.






Above right, Diana Kunde and Brian Keeney talk up native plattns at the Molly Hollar Wildscape booth.

Left, Kelli, Linda and Linda from Friends of Arlington Animal Services, were promoting the Paws in the Park 5K and Dog Walk on Oct. 12.

Right, Kathy Beeler, of the Arlington Feral Cat Coalition, spoke all things cat.



Julie Thibodeaux covers environmental issues, green topics and sustainable living for Green Source DFW. Previously, she worked as an editor and writer at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Contact her at Julie@greensourcedfw.org. See jthibodeaux.com.

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