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The Fairfax Craft Faire is Here!

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<p align="left">The <a href="http://www.fxcraftfaire.com/"><strong>Fairfax Craft Faire</strong> </a>returns on Saturday, December 8th, 11am-5pm at the Fairfax Pavilion. The Craft Faire has become a local tradition, and we hope you can all join us again for another great year! The event features 50 vendors selling handmade crafts and sustainably produced products.</p>

SHOP TO FESTIVE LIVE MUSIC

Our favorite craft faire bands will return this year:

11:30am:   Ukulele Friends Ohana
1:00pm:    Liz Stires and friends
Last set:   Jack Irving

CRAFT FAIRE RAFFLE 

Try your luck at our Craft Faire Raffle! Get your raffle tickets from theSustainable Fairfax or Fairfax Recreation table, and bid on your favorite items donated by our Craft Faire vendors.

CALLING ALL BAKERS!

Wondering how you can support the Fairfax Craft Faire? That’s easy! Bake your favorite goodie(s) for the Craft Faire Bake Sale. All bakers will receive free raffle tickets to the raffle. Drop off your item at the Pavilion kitchen between 9:30-10:30am on Saturday morning. Thank you!!!!

Sign-up here! 

ZERO WASTE CAFE

Visit the Zero Waste Cafe and enjoy some fantastic CHILI and delectable gluten-free MAC & CHEESE donated by Good Earth Natural Foods. Be sure to treat yourself to something sweet at our bake sale too. The Cafe does not generate any landfill waste! We serve the food in reusable dishes with real utensils.

WARM UP WITH SOME KEY TEA

Don’t miss Key Tea’s delicious locally grown chai teas and other wondrous beverages.

GIFT WRAPPING BY INDIE ALLEY

NEW THIS YEAR! Get your gifts wrapped at the Indie Alley booth at the entrance to the Faire!

>>Learn more

The proceeds from the Craft Faire benefit Sustainable Fairfax and Fairfax Recreation, the organizers of the event.

Fairfax Streets for People Coming up Soon!

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The sixth annual Fairfax Streets for People encourages playfulness and creativity in the open street in downtown Fairfax for the afternoon of SUNDAY, August 27, 2017!

Sustainable Fairfax and the Fairfax Chamber are hosting the sixth annual Streets for People; an Open Streets event in downtown Fairfax, on Sunday August 27, 2017 from 10:00 am to 4:00pm. The event transforms Bolinas Road in downtown Fairfax into a lively car-free space for a day.

FOOD, MUSIC AND FUN: Catch live music, grab a bite to eat or drink at an outdoor café, find a new outfit at the clothing swap, take a free yoga class, get creative with chalk art in the street, chair painting or other art projects, try out a temporary tattoo, connect with friends, join a dance class… or just dance… and more!

This year, there will be a SUMMER OF LOVE flavor at this event, and you are encouraged to dress the part! There will be open dancing to 60s music- schedule coming soon.

YOUTH MUSIC SHOWCASE: This year the Youth Music Showcase will be in Bolinas Park featuring young talented musicians and singers.  There will also be fun activities in the park for youth and adults alike, including hula hooping- a tradition at Streets for People.

EDUCATION: Outreach tables by nonprofits and local agencies will provide information and resources focusing on sustainability and community.

TRANSIT ALLEY: The event celebrates alternative transportation and will feature Transit Alley, with biking, walking and public transportation related exhibits as part of Sustainable Fairfax’s ReduceX2 campaign. You will have the opportunity to practice loading a bike on a Golden Gate Transit bus and enter a drawing for free bus passes!

ZERO WASTE: Bring your reusable water bottle to the US PURE WATER water station.  Also be sure to use the silverware provided by Sustainable Fairfax at the food stands on the street (and place them in the buckets provided after use). There will be composting and recycling stations available on the street.

OPEN STREETS MOVEMENT: Streets for People is part of a national and international movement of Open Streets events, inspired by Ciclovía, a successful weekly event in Bogotá, Columbia that opens over 70 of miles of city streets to citizens for outdoor physical activity, attracting up to 2 million participants. “It is the diversity of people in a common space which allows for a rich community fabric in which each citizen is a thread,” says Renee Goddard of Sustainable Fairfax. “The vision behind Fairfax’s Streets for People is to create community resiliency and positive spirit. It’s a celebration of what makes Fairfax unique, and a fun opportunity to stimulate our local economy.”

BIKE, BUS OR WALK TO THE EVENT!  Free bike valet service will be provided in the parking lot next to Gestalt.

The event is a collaboration of Sustainable Fairfax, the Town of Fairfax and the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Streets for People, visit the Streets for People website.

Help us make Streets for People a success!  Sign up to volunteer here.

Find resources and information on Open Streets Events at http://openstreetsproject.org/.

Sustainable Fairfax Benefit Recap!

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On April 1st, 2017 we hosted our annual benefit at the Marin Museum of Bicycling in Fairfax! The event brought over 100 people together from the Fairfax community and beyond to enjoy a fun evening together in the beautiful museum space.

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ENTERTAINMENT: Jack Irving offered his lovely acoustic tunes early on and the Fairfax Funsters of Funtime, a talented community band led by Robert Powell, inspired lots of dancing throughout the night. The April Fools fun was offered up by David Haskell and Kiki La Porta who challenged the audience to a questionnaire of Fairfax history (answers to be posted soon!).

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AUCTION: Our silent and live auctions were a big success and featured over sixty items. See Ellauri of Key Tea/Open Secret Bookstore was a masterful auctioneer and inspired some lively bidding! The sexy hotness sleeping bags, modeled by Renee Goddard (see photo), were won by Taste Kitchen & Table owner Lorenzo Jones.

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E-BIKE RAFFLE! We were thrilled to feature a Kalkhoff electric bike, generously donated by The New Wheel, for our raffle this year.  We sold 889 tickets, and the winner was… drum roll… Peter Laques! Peter played with the Fairfax Funsters band all evening and also serves on the Fairfax Town Council.  He was shocked to win the $2k bike and even rode the bike home from the event. Other raffle winners included Sam Jones and Pat Eklund for items donated by Boreas Gear!

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Nate Byerley of The New Wheel traveled from Arizona to join us and announced their new Bicycle & Car Trade-in program!  Believe it or not, you can trade in a car for credit towards an electric bike. This program aligns nicely with the Sustainable Fairfax ReduceX2 program which encourages less car trips per week.

More Thank You’s: Donna’s Tamales, Grilly’s, Jasmine Market, Miyoko’s Kitchen, Sorella’s, Lagunitas Brewery, Marin Brewing Company for food and drink. Also thanks to Marin Sanitary Service, Flynn Riley LLP and North Berkeley Investment Partners for generously helping with event expenses. The Marin Museum of Bicycling. And rock star volunteers Lynette Carlton, Lexi Neely (our intern!), Allison Ritter, Stephanie Schipper, Kat Steele and Laura Vernon.

Sustainable Fairfax is grateful for being a part of an engaged and connected community, and thanks everyone who has supported our mission over recent years. We look forward to continuing with more education, activism and conservation in the years ahead!

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List of Weekend Marches & Rallies

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Since there are several local rallies and marches happening this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to summarize them all in one place.

Here’s the list I have for Friday and Saturday:

1)  Friday, Jan 20 (Inauguration Day), Bridge Together Golden Gate– 10am-noon

Participants will form a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge in a “peaceful demonstration and performance art piece” beginning at 10 a.m.

2)  Friday, Jan 20:  Marin is Marching!

People’s March & Unity Rally- for Love, Peace, Justice & Truth. This event is being organized by members of the Marin community.

Schedule: 

1:00 pm- Gather in San Anselmo (at the HUB/Creek Park) OR in The Canal (at Pickleweed Park)
2:00 pm- Groups March from East and West to San Rafael City Hall
3:00 pm- Groups Arrive at San Rafael City Hall for Unification
3:30 pm- Unified Group Walks from City Hall to Community Center
4-6 pm-  Unity Rally in San Rafael Community Center Auditorium, 618 B St, San Rafael  (Kid-friendly event with a kids activities room adjacent!) 

Volunteer:  If you want to help out before or at the march, contact Craig Slater (415 721.7241)

3)  Friday, Jan 20: 6:30-7:30pm- “An Inauguration Day Interfaith Gathering”

First Presbyterian Church, 1510 Fifth Ave., San Rafael

Join Congressman Huffman and religious leaders to celebrate religious freedom, social justice and community engagement. The event is free and open to the public. Tables will be provided to share materials for volunteer opportunities. Please bring materials to share.

Please note the event will also be live streamed on www.facebook.com/rephuffman.  Register here.

4)  Saturday, Jan 21: 10am- Fairfax Parkade

Fairfax residents are organizing a “standing” march in solidarity with the Women’s Marches across the country. They will not be marching to another location, but will be showing their support together downtown. (Note: I do not know of any marches in Marin on Saturday)

5)  Saturday, Jan 21: 10am-3pm- Women’s March in Oakland

Schedule: 

10am: Meet at Madison Park, Oakland

11am: March to Frank Ogawa Plaza (2 miles)

12:30-3:00pm:  Rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza

6)  Saturday, Jan 21: 3pm-8pm: Women’s March in San Francisco

Schedule: 

3-5pm: Rally at SF Civic Center

5-8pm: March to Justin Herman Plaza (1.7 miles) (Note: there will be no official event at the end of this march)

**Take Golden Gate transit with Sustainable Fairfax to the SF Women’s March. Lynette Carlton, our Fairfax on Foot organizer, will lead the way. Meet at the downtown Fairfax bus stop at 1:45pm. Find out more info here.

DC WOMENS MARCH: I will be attending the DC march and will be reporting from the march via the Sustainable Fairfax social media accounts. Be sure to follow Sustainable Fairfax if you want my updates at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SustainFX

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainfx/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SustainableFairfax/

These events were created to bring people together to stand in solidarity with the other marches all over the world aiming to protect civil liberties, civil rights, women’s rights, LBGTQI rights, immigrant’s rights, the environment, healthcare, education and other important issues. By coming together in such great numbers, we will show the incoming administration that we are unified, engaged and ready to take a stand for what is right.

Be safe, and enjoy all of the passionate and energized people participating in these historic marches!

Pedal Powered Food Drive: A Success!

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A joyful group of adults and children participated in the ReduceX2 Slow Riders Food Drive Bike Ride from Fairfax to the Corte Madera Town Center on Saturday  to “feed” the Giant Turkey (a collection spot for the SF-Marin Food Bank).

The group made three stops to collect food donated by Fairfax Market, Good Earth Natural Foods and Woodlands Market.

The Corte Madera Town Center greeted us with delicious Blue Barn organic ice cream, coffee and snacks.  The event was filmed for the MotherLoad Movie  promoting the cargo bike movement. The event was a great success and a beautiful ride!

Thanks to all who participated, the grocery stores for donating food, and Corte Madera Town Center for the warm greeting!

Sign up for future Slow Riders bike rides here.  These are fun and relaxed bike rides to popular Marin County destinations. You will learn bike routes that avoid the busy streets and will discover the beautiful paths and backstreets of Marin!

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Celebrate Earth Day 2016 in Fairfax

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How did Earth Day get its start?

The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd, 1970 when 20 million people participated in peaceful demonstrations to protest the industrial revolution and advocate for a healthy sustainable environment. Earth Day founder Senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired to create Earth Day after witnessing the devastating 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara. He sought to tap into the passion and energy from the anti-war movement to environmental protection.

Earth Day became internationally recognized in 1990 when Denis Hayes mobilized 20 million people in 141 countries. This led to a boost in recycling efforts and set the stage for the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Earth Day 2000 focused on global warming and clean energy, when hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the National Mall in Washington DC.

In 2010, the Earth Day Network launched A Billion Acts of Green®, and introduced a global tree planting initiative that has since grown into The Canopy Project, engaging 22,000 partners in 192 countries in observing Earth Day.

Fairfax Earth Day Activities

There are several ways you can join Sustainable Fairfax t0 celebrate Earth Day this weekend. Saturday promises to be a beautiful day to be outside after a day of spring showers forecasted for Friday.

1) Saturday, April 23- 8:15am – 1:00pm: Fairfax on Foot: Walk to MMWD Broom Pull- Walk with Sustainable Fairfax to an MMWD French Broom Pull volunteer work party to remove this harmful species from our open space. Learn more here.

2) Saturday, April 23- 10:00am – 2:00pm: Green Infrastructure Workshop & Workday- Learn about green infrastructure from an expert in the field, and work with your community to improve the area surrounding the Fairfax Pavilion parking lot. Come for all or part of this workday! Learn more here.

3) Saturday, April 23- 10:00am – 4:00pm: Earth Day Celebration at The Away Station-The Away station is Marin’s only “reclaim and Reuse” marketplace. The Away Station, located at Fairfax Lumber at 109 Broadway Come, is Marin’s only “Reclaim and Reuse” marketplace.  Celebrate Earth Day with local artists and craftspeople who will demonstrate and provide ideas and inspiration for creative repurposing. At 1:00pm, Fairfax Mayor (and Sustainable Fairfax VP) will give a brief talk about zero waste and Fairfax’s goal of reaching Zero Waste by 2020!

4) Adopt a Redwood!- Help SPAWN plant 10,000 redwoods in the San Francisco Bay Area over a 3-year period. The trees will help the salmon habitat along the creek and will create a local “carbon sink” to fight climate change. You can adopt a tree here!

We hope to see you at these events this Saturday! If you have any questions please email SustainFX@gmail.com