Muskegon Art Festival Awarded for Sustainability Efforts
CONTACT: CARLA FLANDERS
MUSKEGON LAKESHORE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PHONE: 231-724-3176
FAX: 231-728-7251
cflanders@www.muskegon.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2017
Local Art Festival Awarded for Sustainability Efforts
MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN – The Lakeshore Art Festival continues to increase the quality of exhibitors attending and has made great strides toward zero waste event management. Because of their work in implementing a sustainable special event in the Muskegon community, Lakeshore Art Festival has just been awarded the 2017 Sustainability Champion Award.
“We are very thankful to be recognized as the Sustainability Champion for special projects award,” says Carla Flanders, Lakeshore Art Festival Director. “It has been our goal to provide a sustainable model that supports local business, protects the environment, and educates our youth. We feel our efforts not only improve the festival but the community as a whole in creating an overall positive experience.”
The festival has grown from focusing on recycling plastic bottles to an all-encompassing recycling and composting program that includes a “Green Team” educational initiative. Since the inception of the program, the festival has recycled over 3,457 pounds. This equates to 15 cubic yards of landfill space saved which is enough volume to fill 3,109 1-gallon jugs of water. The Lakeshore Art Festival is one of the only festivals in Muskegon County to take a waste reduction program to these heights. This was all made possible by a grant from the DTE Energy Foundation. More information on the Lakeshore Art Festival’s sustainability efforts can be found at http://www.lakeshoreartfestival.org/.
Lakeshore Art Festival was recognized along with three other Sustainability Champions on Thursday, April 20th at the 2017 Sustainability Champion Awards Ceremony. This event featured stories of people and businesses in the Muskegon community who have been making a positive difference in their sustainability efforts.
Recipients of the Sustainability Champion Award were presented with a unique trophy made primarily from recycled tires. In addition, recipients of this award also received a free booth exhibitor space at the Earth Fair Expo which took place at Montague High School Saturday, April 22nd.
The Lakeshore Art Festival is an annual event that features a unique blend of arts, crafts, music, food, and fun in beautiful Downtown Muskegon, Michigan. Previously, The Lakeshore Art Festival has been recognized by Sunshine Artist Magazine as one of the “200 Best” in the country and by ArtFairCalendar.com as “Favorite Small Town Art Fair.”