Clara Perez and Lynne Nittler point out one of many experts available with Cool Solutions at the Cool Davis Festival.

The Cool Davis Festival ran from 9 am to 1:30 pm  Saturday, October 13,  in Central Park, a new venue for the third annual event.

A full schedule of entertainment, activities, informative exhibits and displays helped Davisites make choices that connect a low-carbon lifestyle with a healthy environment, personal well-being and a thriving Davis community.

“The Market is delighted to have the Cool Davis Festival ‘next door’ this year,” said Randii MacNear, market manager.  “We feel that there is a synergy and common purpose between our two organizations, and we will both benefit from being side by side.”

Food. Good food was abundant at the Farmers Market, including breakfast/ and lunch fare available for purchase from local vendors. Additionally, the Festival hosted expert cooking demonstrations using seasonal produce.

Kate Morgan, PJ Morgan and Penn Harvey are busy drawing their idea of One Cool City. The festival in Central Park will feature lots of children’s activities.

The Festival offered exciting opportunities for the whole family. Special activities for kids included face painting, recycled art construction and environmentally friendly games.

Drama. The central green was filled with interactive entertainment such as jugglers, hoops and dancing. At 11 am, the environmental drama group, Nature’s Theater, presented The Search for King Carbon on the Rotary stage.

“In this intriguing play, members of the audience were called up on stage to participate in a search. Along the way, they learned important lessons. The play was a highlight of the festival,” said Judy Moores, President of the Cool Davis Foundation.

Transportation. Third Street was closed between B and C Streets to explore several types of alternative transportation and ways to make getting where you want to go easier. As always, Davis Bicycles! and the Davis Bicycle Collective taught bike maintenance tips and safety checks, along with fun bicycle-related activities for kids and the young-at-heart.

Various bike vendors were on hand with the latest in all-purpose and electric bikes; plug-in electric vehicle aficionados displayed their cars and shared their passion. And of course, folks tried out some of the Whymcycle bike creations.

Solutions. “We are really enjoyed teaming up with our resourceful exhibitors again this year, and seeing their creative and educational displays related to climate change and what we can do as individuals to take positive steps,” said Chris Granger, festival co-chair.

The Festival’s ‘Cool Solutions Center’ on the green was a gathering place of resources, information, useful ideas, and inspiration. More than 50 local exhibitors and demonstrators offered local, practical, tangible solutions that lead to a lower carbon footprint.

Homeowners, renters, students and others can examine options related to the food we choose, the gardens we grow, the homes we make ever-more-energy-efficient and water-conserving, and the resilient community we wish to create for ourselves and our families.

Footprint Game. As part of the fun, visitors played the Cool Davis footprint game by visiting various booths at the Festival to earn tickets and entering a raffle for appealing prizes.

Zero Waste. The event was targeted as zero waste, so visitors brought their own bottles to fill water provided free. Visitors had the opportunity to chat with ‘trash talkers’ at five convenient waste stations.

Bus, Bike, Walk. Cool Davis encouraged everyone to leave cars at home. Unitrans offered free bus transportation for the day.   Other visitors rode bikes, walked, or even rollerbladed to the festival.

Why? Practical solutions to the urgent problem of climate change are at the center of the Cool Davis Festival. Visitors came to learn about the challenges we face; to gather ways to take action; to share the camaraderie and fun along the way. The Festival helped individuals identify the next steps for themselves and their household with an energy footprint reduction checklist. Each step taken leads to a healthier you and a healthier planet.