August 13, 2008 4:59 PM

Sustainable Living Roadshow coming to Highland

Shades of the Grateful Dead.
The Sustainable Living Roadshow will present an entertainment and informative fair called "Be the Change" in the Highland neighborhood during the Denver National Convention.
This event, which will include music by groups such as the Granola Funk Express and the Ginger Ninjas, (which uses "pedal power" from stationary bicycles to provide electricity for their sound equipment), will be held on Aug. 26 and 27.
As many as 5,000 people are anticipated to attend the roadshow, which will be held from the Highland Bridge over Interstate 25 and Central Street to Hirshorn Park along Boulder Street.
In addition to the music, it will include talks by leading "green" speakers such as Majora Carter and Bill Becker; tours of alternative energy cars; a green developer building materials showcase, and a "conscious carnival," where among other things, kids can throw pieces of coal at photos of things like oil derricks, and when they hit them, solar and wind displays pop up.
"Sounds like a pretty cool event, doesn't it," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Susan Powers, principal of Urban Ventures, and developer of the Highland Bridge Lofts in the area, worked with the city to bring the roadshow to the Highland neighborhood.
"I think it is great that something from the DNC is spilling over to a Denver neighborhood," Powers said.
The Highland United Neighbors, Inc., better known as HUNI, will be bringing a Farmers Market along Boulder Street, between 16th and 15th streets, to the event, she said.
About 30 bicyclists on Wednesday began distributing hundreds of flyers and posters in Denver, said Zachary Carson, director and coordinator of the Berkeley-based roadshow.
"This is not a tree-hugger thing at all," Carson said. "We present this stuff in a real mainstream light. I think one of the problems in trying to educate people, is that a lot scare tactics have been used. We're really trying to create a celebration of a new way of life. And we're doing it in a non-preachy, non-didactic way."
He said there will be three stages set up. One will be powered by the sun, another by biofuels, and the third by "pedal power," where the Ginger Ninjas will play.
While the roadshow will make its debut in San Francisco on Saturday, "this will be the first time we are actually on the road," Carter said.
Later, the roadshow will be traveling to St. Paul, Minn.; Chicago; Knoxville, Tn., New Orleans and Austin, Texas.

Posted by John Rebchook at 4:59 PM | Comments (1)