As with most good ideas, the “greening” of this year’s Nassau County Strawberry Festival came about with a realization. Andrew Meyerowitz, 26, realized that the community-focused Bellmore Kiwanis Club, which his family has been instrumental in running for decades, left a disturbingly large carbon footprint in the wake of its events, particularly after the annual festival. He, and his family members and other Kiwanis and Lions club members, set out to reduce that impact.
“When we thought about the amount of garbage our events create and the contribution to landfills, we felt we had to do something”, Meyerowitz, whose family lives in Merrick, said. “It is very interesting to see how large of a carbon footprint we leave.” A carbon footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gases, or carbon emissions, caused directly by an individual, group or event, the excess of which has begun to alter the global climate and our environment long term.
The Strawberry Festival, which took place just recently from May 27 through May 31 on the grounds of the Jerusalem Avenue School in North Bellmore, is the signature fund-raising event sponsored jointly by the two community groups, the Bellmore Kiwanis and Lions clubs, each year.
“Every member is a volunteer and does not get paid,” Lions president Joe Anderson explained. “And every dollar, every penny, goes back to the community.” The Bellmore Lions and Kiwanis groups support many local endeavors, from scholarships for local students, to sending disadvantaged children to camp, as well as supporting a local food pantry, building ramps for handicapped access, purchasing special viewers for the blind and other causes.
Steps to reduce carbon footprint
As for the “greening” of the festival this year, Meyerowitz said, “Not only are we helping the community, but we are helping the environment.”
They began by initiating “green” practices at all their events this year. At the festival, the utensils, cups and plates used by the Kiwanis and Lions to serve their signature strawberry drinks and other treats were biodegradable, as were the materials used by major Bellmore food vendor sponsors, A Taste of Home Bakery and Tommy’s Village Pizza.
Also, the trash — a “couple of dumpsters’ worth” of refuse, according to Andrew Meyerowitz’s brother and Kiwanis vice president Seth Meyerowitz — that the thousands of fairgoers left behind was composted.
The new “Green Expo”
Also underscoring the festival’s new environmentally friendly focus, Long Island “green” businesses served as festival sponsors, creating an interesting and educational Green Expo area at the festival this year.
“The businesses that were part of this area have shown that they are dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint of their business as well as the clients they serve,” Seth Meyerowitz said.
The festival’s title Green Expo sponsor was East Meadow-based Alure Home Improvement, a leading home remodeling company and partner in the “Green Levittown” initiative. The company provides home performance energy audits and other innovative “green” services.
“We offer the first green kitchen with ice stone countertops, made of cement and recycled glass,” explained marketing spokeswoman Lisa Barone. The company also offered information about a variety of other energy efficiency services they provide, including Energy Star product recommendations and Owens-Corning insulation products.
Another sponsor, Freeport-based Chief Equipment, Inc. created a bit of a stir with its battery powered “Auto mower,” a lawn mower that moved across a side area of the fair grounds on its own. Two models were demonstrated, recharged automatically at either a plugged in electric base station or through a solar panel on top.
At their exhibit, representatives from the solar energy “green” sponsor Bellmore/Wantagh-based Built Well Solar Corp. answered fairgoers’ questions about solar-electric, solar hot water and solar pool heating systems for homes and businesses, and distributed free sun-yellow, biodegradable balloons. “Being that this is my hometown, and I went to Jerusalem Avenue School right here when it was still a junior high, I was proud to be a sponsor,” said Built Well Solar’s founder/owner Dan Sabia. “And we were happy to see a thousand smiles on the faces of the little kids we gave balloons out to.” Another sponsor, Island Park-based Empower CES offered information about solar-electric systems.
Another “green” sponsor was Farmingdale-based Renewal By Andersen, a division of Andersen Windows, the only replacement window manufacturer to receive Green Seal Certification for Environmental Stewardship. Company representatives were on hand to explain the energy-saving benefits of its replacement windows, which are manufactured with minimal environmental impact. Melville-based Infinity Windows of Long Island, which offers energy efficient replacement windows and doors, was another sponsor at the festival.
“This is what our clubs are all about,” Bellmore Kiwanis Club president John Monks said, “improving the communities that we live in and helping the members of those communities.”
