ANN ARBOR – The 18th annual Mayor's Green Fair will take over Main Street on Friday, June 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. to celebrate the city's environmental initiatives.
Green Fair was started by Mayor John Hieftje, who took a keen interest in environmental issues and decided a fair would be a great way for the community to meet leaders of sustainable initiatives, from nonprofits and individual citizens to government and businesses.
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Main Street will be closed between Huron and William streets during the zero-waste event. Green Fair is designed for all ages, and guests will get to enjoy live music and family-friendly, hands-on activities.
We sat down with Mayor Christopher Taylor, who explained why the fair is an important event in the Ann Arbor community. It will be his fourth annual Mayor's Green Fair.
"It’s one of the first downtown festivals in the summer," said Taylor. "The Summer Festival Top of the Park kicks off that day, too, so there will be a lot to do that night. There will be nonprofits and local green businesses making presentations, and, importantly, there will be lots of city departments with booths and presentations about things that are going on. Sustainability is one of the core values of the community -- the protection of the environment, the beauty and tranquility of our parks and our nature areas. They also care about recycling and composting."
Coincidentally, this year, the city made a major step forward in financing its Climate Action Plan, which has been a topic of discussion for years.
"One of the things that I’m particularly excited about going forward is that we are taking part of the fairness rebate from the county millage and using that to fund our Climate Action Plan. So going forward, we will over the next eight years have at least $880,000 per year to fund climate action. It’s super important that each person, each municipal organization, each government do their part."
Naturally, Taylor will be making an appearance. It is the Mayor's Green Fair, after all.
"I'll be wandering the Green Fair!" said Taylor. "It’s a lot of fun talking to residents who are there, talking to the various presenters. People love the town, they love the community, they love the feel of the fair, they love the message and it’s just great to be there."
For more information about the Mayor's Green Fair, click here.