Arts & Entertainment
Arts, Beats & Eats: 5 Ways to be Green
From taking a bus or riding your bike to using earth-friendly materials, festivalgoers and sponsors alike are doing their part for the environment.
In the middle of all this music, food and art, there's plenty of opportunity to practice being "green" at the Arts, Beats & Eats festival.
Located on Washington near the Stagecrafters Theatre many green and environmentally friendly exhibits are available for preview.
Here are five ways to practice being earth-friendly during the festival:
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1. Use the SMART bus system: Riding a SMART bus saves you money and helps avoid the hassle of parking and traffic congestion. There are many routes that can take you right to the festival. To find the route best for you, call 1-866-962-5515 or visit www.smartbus.org. The closest stops to downtown Royal Oak are Woodward at Lincoln and 11 Mile at Washington Avenue
2. Ride a bike: It's another great alternative to driving, saving gas and money. Conveniently located at Lincoln and Washington and 11 Mile at Washington are secured bike corrals, sponsored by Health Plus. Volunteers are taking turns keeping an eye on the area.
Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Pastor Bill Barnwell of the , along with 15 of his fellow parishioners volunteered for the bike station because they “fully support the green initiative” he said. As an incentive for volunteering the group will get free admission in to the festival.
3. Recycle: The festival continues its sustainability in 2011 by recycling all trash, using biodegradable products and providing financial incentives for participating restaurants to use biodegradable products. The recycling program this year also includes more than 300 volunteers from in Royal Oak.
Volunteers such as Royal Oak native Laura Kellogg are stationed by each container helping guests sort through the recyclable pieces. “We put on our gloves and get to work," Kellogg said. "At the end of the day we earn a little extra money for our congregation by taking returnables to the stores."
The festival gives a portion of the proceeds to the church.
4. Carpool: SEMCOG, the South East Michigan Council of Governments, offers a free and easy online matching service for commuters through MIRideshare.com
5. Shuttle in: Off-site parking with a shuttle service is available at Saturday through Monday.
For additional information on Arts Beats and Eats green initiative, as well as parking and shuttle locations visit ArtsBeatsandEats.com.
