Boston — Down:2:Earth (D2E), a sustainable living event for the eco-conscious consumer, will take place March 28-30 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston’s Back Bay. D2E is an exploration into the movement that seeks answers on how to tread more lightly on the earth. It is an exposition of companies who are responding to consumer wishes for products that combine sustainability with style and innovation as well as an education forum for learning about a greener lifestyle.
Highlights of D2E programming are keynote speakers Bill McKibben and Frances Moore Lappé, a symposium on “Sustainable Design†organized by Massachusetts College of Art and the Goethe-Institut in conjunction with D2E; a curated Sustainability Video Forum. A fashion show of eco-chic clothing, cooking demonstrations, book signings, panel discussions, a youth green jobs forum, and workshops on transportation, food, fashion, energy, eco-weddings, and home remodeling will give New England designers, chefs, authors, businesses, educators and artists an opportunity to share their knowledge and talents.
Zipcar is the associate sponsor and other companies and organizations that are already on board are Alt Wheels, Ben & Jerry’s, Boston Green Building, Boston Harbor Islands Alliance, Lush, Mass Climate Action Network, New England Aquarium, Mass Bike, Papers to Pearls, Second Rotation, Shaklee, 360 Vodka, and Wormjava (for a complete list visit http://www.d2eboston.com/about/exhibitors.php).
Local media sponsors—WBZ-TV, The Boston Metro, Edible Boston, 90.9 WBUR, and The River 92.5—have committed substantial promotional support to D2E.
D2E is a culmination of the talents and passion of two Boston-based female entrepreneurs—Betty Fulton of Commonwealth Promotion, Inc. and Lorelei Grazier of Grazier Design Works. Fulton founded Commonwealth Promotion, Inc. in 1985 and provides comprehensive event management services to corporate and non-profit clients. She has produced events including The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, The Boston Print Fair and College Fest. Fulton is the managing producer and a founding partner of D2E. An alumnus of the Basel School of Design in Switzerland, Grazier has been practicing design since 1991. Prior to starting her own company, she worked for Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency and Chermayeff & Geismar design firm. Grazier is the brand strategist and a founding partner for D2E.
D2E is meticulously tracking its own environmental footprint. Conscious of the potential impact of the March 2008 convention, D2E management has adopted a fresh approach to the production of the event—opting for reusable cloth banners instead of conventional vinyl versions, avoiding printed promotional literature and working with the Board of Advisors to select that companies meet sustainability benchmarks before being invited to participate. Small decisions surrounding the expo affect the environment, and D2E staff members are working hard to reduce that impact with every choice made.
D2E’s Board of Advisors includes: Andrea Atkinson, NEXUS general manager at The Green Roundtable; Jennifer Baldwin, Green Mover-and-Shaker; Ilene Bezahler, editor of Edible Boston; Peter R. Nobile, AIA, LEED AP, Lda Architects LLP; Ann Rappaport, Faculty Member, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University; Dan Ruben, Executive Director, Boston Green Tourism; and Terry Swack, Founder & CEO, Clean Culture.
Prospective sponsors and exhibitors should contact D2E at 617-266-6540 or info@d2eboston.com.
Thanks for Jen for hipping us to this.