Matteo Nouve, 8, test-drives a Whymcycle at Saturday’s Cool Davis Festival in Central Park. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

The Cool Davis Festival, held October 13 in Central Park, was a terrific success, drawing more participants than ever before.

Participants were treated to a Bike Circus where city council members raced each other on Whymcycles . The Plug-in Electric Vehicle show was busy all morning.

Starting with a fun skit and dance, lead by our fearless Mayor Joe Kravoza (dressed as a tree), the array of entertainment was more extensive this year. This skit was written by Betsy Raymond, who was responsible for recruiting a fabulous collection of musicians, poets, comedians and actors including special performance of Nature’s Theater as well as leading the team of techs who supported them. The cooking demonstrations were very popular with three chef’s giving tips on healthy, environmentally sustainable eating.

The number of educational exhibits grew by 20% giving participants the opportunity to explore changes they can make in their greenhouse gas emissions by conserving household energy, and changing their transportation and consumer habits.

Exhibits included a host of booths to educate guests about such actions as upgrading their homes to increase energy efficiency, solar panel installation, diet changes, installing low-flow shower heads, purchasing a dual toilet flush system, adding motion-sensitive outdoor lighting, weather stripping, and programmable thermostats, and replacing existing appliances with energy saving appliances.

Cool Davis volunteers Kendall Essex, Christine Backman and Clara Perez hosted the Cool California Challenge booth at the festival and collected 30 Cool Stories from Cool California Challenge participants. They also signed up another 53 new participants for the Challenge, helping Davis stay in the lead of this competition that runs through next March.

Overall the Festival was a great success. Look for a final report on the Festival outcomes in our next newsletter.

Read more details about the Festival in the Davis Enterprise at: http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ag-environment/keep-it-simple-festival-touts-green-changes-of-every-size/

See photos of the Festival at: http://www.davisenterprise.com/media-post/cool-davis-festival-photos-4/