STAFF REPORT
The Earth Festival, now in its
fifth year, is an environmentally
focused, interactive event
featuring exhibits, workshops,
vendors, food and entertainment,
all with a fun, earthfriendly
twist.
Earth Festival 2010, sponsored
by the Otsego County
Conservation Association and
Wildlife Learning Company, is
scheduled for Saturday at the
Milford Central School.
This year’s event will include
a seminar series from 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. in the school auditorium,
with a wide range of
topics, as well as the traditional
information and vendor
fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in
the gymnasium.
Following a successful
renewable energy workshop
in January and in response
to heightened public interest
in alternative energy, festival
sponsors decided to include
the seminar series in this
year’s festival, according to
Darla Youngs, Administrative
Director of the Otsego County
Conservation Association.
The seminar series topics
will run and gamut from
energy audits and retrofits
to natural gas-drilling to zero
waste. Industry professionals
will give presentations on
geothermal and solar thermal
energy and Finnish wood
stoves. The importance of energy
audits will be discussed,
as will both residential and
commercial energy retrofitting.
With the information and
materials provided, home and
business owners will be better
able to assess renewable
energy options and evaluate
the compatibility of these
energy sources with their
individual sites and lifestyles,
Youngs said.
The seminar series will
also explore various aspects
of natural gas drilling in the
Marcellus shale formation, as
four speakers take the stage
to share their perspectives
and concerns. Representatives
from the environmental, oil
and gas, and legal communities
will discuss drilling
currently underway in Otsego
County by Gastem, an oil and
gas exploration and development
company; flaws in the
proposed New York State
regulations on horizontal
drilling and high-volume
hydraulic fracturing; how to
recognize and report possible
violation of environmental
laws and regulations; and
legal considerations for individuals
and towns.
The scheduled speakers
include Lou Allstadt, a former
Mobil Oil executive; Orville
Cole, from Gastem; Erik Miller,
representing the OCCA; and
attorney Mary Jo Long.
Other seminar topics and
presenters include: energy
audits/retrofits and solar
thermal heat, Equity Energy;
energy issues with new/retrofit
commercial construction,
NYSERDA; Finnish wood
furnaces and ovens, German
Mike’s Masonry; geothermal,
Great Brook Enterprises; Low
Carbon Diet, OCCA, and zero
waste, Chris Burger.
The pre-registration
deadline was April 2, Youngs
said, but registrations will be
accepted up until Friday, April
9. Walks in are welcome, she
added.
Information booths and a
Vendor Fair will be open from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the gymnasium.
They include:
The Milford Central
School Education Foundation
will host the ôGo Greenö
Fashion Show at 3 p.m. (by
ticket only, call 607-286-7721,
ext. 8408).
Clean Styrofoam packaging
material, meat trays,
mushroom boxes, and egg
cartons will be collected.
Free document shredding
service from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. for disposal of confidential
papers provided by ConfiData,
a division of Empire
Recycling.
Spring flowers, sprouts,
micro greens, organic meats,
cheeses, baked goods and
crafts from the Cooperstown
Farmers’ Market.
MCS Class of 2014 will
host an eco-friendly car wash.
$5 per car _ all proceeds
benefit the American Cancer
Society’s Relay For Life.
Bob Donnelly and Dave
Kiehm will lead a bird walk
in the Robert V. Riddell State
Park as part of Earth Festival.
Participants should meet in
the school parking lot at 8
a.m.
Festival visitors can look
forward to several local food
items at the CADE booth.
CADE will serve up local beef
burgers from Sunset View
Farm, as well as quiche and
soup from Lucky Dog Farm
and Cafe.
Students from Milford
Central School will be leading
children’s activity stations
throughout the day, and are
currently preparing a wide
array of eco-art for public
viewing.
Children’s activities will
include: Nature Hike & Tree
Identification, 9 a.m.; Bird House
Making & Plant Potting, 10 a.m.
to noon; Maple Sugaring Demonstration,
1 p.m.; Afternoon
Ultimate Frisbee Games.
The Milford Education Foundation
will end Earth Festival
with a special ``recycled fashion’’
show (by ticket only).
Earth Festival activities will
kick off with a free Family
Movie Night, including a special
eco-art/fashion preview, at the
school on Friday beginning
at 6:30 p.m. with the movie
``WALL E.’’
The City of Oneonta Public
Transportation (OPT) buses
will provide bus service to
Earth Festival from Oneonta or
Cooperstown and all points in
between.
More information about the
Earth Festival is available on
the OCCA website www.occainfo.
org.
