The Ozarks Sustainability Festival

The 5th Annual Ozarks Sustainability Festival will be held this Sunday, May 20th from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM in West Plains, MO.

As always, the festival will be a free, fun-filled day of learning for the entire family with a focus on sustainable skills, homesteading, small farming self-sufficiency, natural health, alternative energy and much, much more!   This year’s festival is again chock-full of live demonstrations, hands-on workshops and just-for-kids activities.  There’s even going to be a native plant walk right on the grounds!  Keynote speakers will present discuss topics such as urban homesteading, transportation, emergency preparedness, natural remedies, seed saving, aquaponics, making tinctures and alternative energy for the home, just to mention a few!  See the full list of speakers and demonstrators below.

In addition to a wealth of free informative workshops, the Sustainability Festival is proud to present over 5o retail and educational booths filled with beautiful arts and crafts, select bedding plants, local farm products, scrumptious food, green businesses and free information on a world of sustainable ideas.   There’s something for everyone at the Ozarks Sustainability Festival!

In addition to this year’s excellent roundup, the OSF is proud to host the The Lexicon of Sustainability Pop-Up Art Show.  This fun and inspiring pictorial of the realities surrounding sustainable agriculture and local food production by photographer, Douglas Gayeton is being sponsored by the Oregon County Producers and Artisans Coop.  Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind show going on indoors all day!

The Sustainability Festival  is a not-for-profit event that strives to build a stronger community built upon the principles of living well in the present, while still leaving a healthy world behind for future generations.

Sustainability means different things to different people.   For some, sustainability means ‘green’ – a way of life that protects and conserves both the environment and its resources from overuse and contamination with a focus on using less and recycling more.  For others, it means self-sufficiency – taking responsibility for one’s own needs within a family or community in terms of food, shelter, energy and transportation.  And yet, for others, it means a vibrant economy based on local organic and natural food and food producers, such as small family farms, farmers markets and small business partnerships.

In essence, sustainability refers to the ability to maintain or sustain our current quality of life long into the future, whether it be social, economic or environmental.   Each generation is charged with the stewardship of the earth and all that is upon it, yet it is not ours to abuse or destroy.  Our job is to see that our children’s children’s children will grow up in a world that is as abundant, vibrant and healthy as the one that we enjoy today.  Simply put, sustainability means to maintain something indefinitely and the Sustainability Festival hopes to promote the ideals of good stewardship for all of mankind.

This year’s festival will once again be held at the Next Step Seventh Day Adventist Church and old go-kart track on North Highway 63 across from Richards R-5 School in West Plains, Missouri  from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

The OSF is a not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations.  We are a diverse group of people working together for a common goal.  The SDA church graciously hosts our event at their facility free of charge and in return we happily respect their religious tenets.   No guns, weapons or alcohol are permitted on the grounds and no pork or pork products will be served or sold.   Please leave your pets at home.  Parking and admission are completely free and new vendors and volunteers are always welcome!

For more information on the schedule of speakers and demonstrators please continue to the bottom of this page.

To get directions or more information on vendors,
or to become a vendor or volunteer,
please visit the festival website at
www.OzarksSustainabilityFestival.org
or contact Julie Shaw (417) 293-5253 (jul2mo@yahoo.com)

See you there!

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5^TH Annual Ozarks Sustainability Festival

SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

All Day (inside) The Lexicon of Sustainability Pop-Up Art Show – A fun and inspiring pictorial of the realities surrounding sustainable agriculture and local food production by photographer, Douglas Gayeton.

All Day (outside track) Just for Kids Activities. In the center of the track.

11:00 (inside) Rick Scarlet: “Urban Homesteading and Transportation Choices”

Rick and his wife Gloria power their home and electric car with an elaborate solar installation in Springfield. Their urban homesteading has been reported in numerous publications.

12:00 (inside) Jamie Jackson: “Sustainable Horticulture on the Homestead”

Jamie and her husband live off the grid and practice a sustainable lifestyle, raising and selling herbal products. Jamie will speak on the permaculture (perennial and sustainable horticulture) practices they use.

12:00 (kitchen) Adele Voss “An Emergency Preparedness Kit”

1:00 (inside) Jill Henderson: “How to Save Your Own Garden Seeds”

Jill and her husband, Dean, have traveled the world, lived off the grid and homesteaded for 20 years.  Jill has written three books, including The Garden Seed Saving Guide and is a Contributing Author for Llewellyn’s 2013 Herbal Almanac. She currently authors Show Me Oz, a blog about life in the Ozarks.

1:00 (kitchen) Robin Gilbert: “Natural Remedies and Bible Health”

1:00 (outside track) Lyla Greystone: “Goat milking” (Look for balloons in shaded area of track.)

1:15 (outside track) Jamie Jackson: “Care and use of the scythe” (Look for the balloons to find Jamie)

2:00 (inside) Craig Wiles: “Energy for the Home”

Craig is the owner of Preferred Energy, and has an exhibit booth at the Festival. Craig and his family live “off grid” and have been installing solar systems since 1998.

2:00 (kitchen) Elaine Andreessen: “Making soy milk with a soy milk maker”

3:00 (inside) Jeremy Letterman: “Aquaponics”

Jeremy Letterman has raised fish and vegetables in an aquaponics system he built at his Springfield home. He has been studying aquaponics for two years and recently completed a commercial aquaponics training course. He plans to expand his operation to include advanced permaculture design systems on a commercial scale.

3:00 (kitchen) Betty Queen and Kathy Donaldson: “Making Medicinal Tinctures”

A simple way of extracting the healing properties of herbs using alcohol.

4:00: (inside) Adele Voss: “Wild edibles and medicinal plants”

Adele and her husband Joe own and operate Meadowbrook Health Foods in West Plains, and have a booth at the Festival. Joe will lead a plant walk-on the Festival grounds at 5 pm, after Adele’s talk.

5:00 (outside track) Joe Voss – Native Plant Walk –edible and medicinal plants (Look for balloons to find Joe)

OTHER DEMONSTRATIONS

Sheila Hoyt: her system for raising fish/plants

Howell Oregon: pedal bicycle to run fan/lights, etc.

Dawn Jopz: cheese making

Julie Shaw: Use our computer to see your carbon footprint

Julie Shaw: “Can you find yourself in these photos?”

Diana Wallace: Spinning wool from her sheep

Tim Leach: Raised beds in old freezers/ refrigerators

Miriam Schrippe: Raising elderberries, Jerusalem artichokes, at her booth