After a threat of questionable weather conditions, this year’s Earth Fair, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed to next week. The annual event takes place on the Brickyard and brings awareness through exhibits and vendors about making the planet a better place.
“Yesterday when we looked at the weather, there was a chance, a high chance at that point, of thunderstorms,” said Carla Davis, the communications coordinator of NC State’s Sustainability Office. “The chance for storms was around 60 to 80 percent, and for safety reasons we didn’t want to hold the fair and have a thunderstorm come through. Earth Fair was canceled due to weather, but it is postponed to next week. We are going to hold it next Wednesday when the weather is, so far, looking very good.”
Put on by the Sustainability Office, the event brings in vendors and companies from all across the state and nation to address the topics of food, water, transportation, nature and ways to be environmentally friendly.
“The Earth Fair is an outdoor expo of all things sustainability related,” Davis said. “There are things ranging from waste management and recycling to water to alternative transportation. There is a fair amount of local farms and local agriculture. Lots of various aspects of sustainability will be covered.”
Justin Lin, a first-year studying philosophy of law, just recently learned about the Earth Fair and was looking forward to attending the event.
“I didn’t really know what the Earth Fair was until recently,” Lin said. “I’m a little disappointed that it got canceled today. I am still looking forward to it happening next week, and I would most definitely be interested in going then. I think it will be fun.”
Despite the change in the day the event is going to be held on, the logistics and vendors coming to the event will stay primarily the same.
“Everything else is going to be the same with the fair,” Davis said. “It will be the same time from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the same location, on the Brickyard. We will have about the same vendors come. We had a few vendors that canceled because they have other things planned for next week. We still have over 60 vendors that are scheduled to come, so it will still be a big event.”
With this event being an earth-focused fair, there will be opportunities to learn about new ideas in conservation through exhibits, to purchase unique items from companies showcasing and selling items such as eco-fashion and organic produce and to learn from student clubs and organizations to hear about what is being done to make NC State sustainable.
Lin said he is interested in several aspects of the fair and hopes to learn more about specific topics that he is interested in.
“I am hoping to see some more information and stuff on recycling,” Lin said. “I want to learn more about what happens when recycling plastics and straws especially.”
The Earth Fair has had success in the past, which is a main reason why the event will still go on despite the cancellation on Wednesday.
“This event is being rescheduled because it is such a big event and the weather can’t be controlled,” Davis said. “We hope that next week it will be sunny and beautiful, and we can have a great event then.”
For more information on the vendors and groups participating in the Earth Fair next Wednesday, students can go to the events page on the Sustainability Office website.
