San Francisco hosted the 7th annual Green Festival November 14-16, and, per usual, I attended with my family and a friend’s kid. I figure taking children to the festival, which is a joint project of Co-op America and Global Exchange, is one way to raise young consciousnesses while tasting organic chocolate and checking out the latest innovations in the green tech sphere. And one thing’s for sure, kids on chocolate are equal parts excited and receptive.

We were inspired to see all the like-minds sharing their vision for a better world, and the two eleven-year-olds I was with were good little soldiers, checking out products for greening your home, solar chargers and recycled-materials tech accessories, fair-trade organic food, innovative paper products, green office suppliers, and socially responsible investment strategies, to name a few.

We were all swept along by the universal vibe that not only is change needed, but is, in fact, nonnegotiable. And while it was exciting to be immersed in this collective spirit, if only for the afternoon, I left wondering how on Earth we were all going to pull this off. Because most of what was offered requires relative affluence, I wonder how we can make a substantial, immediate impact. I guess it’s like buying locally produced organic produce and biodynamic meat instead of large-chain grocery store fare. You pay more to eat well; you pay more to have a green home or office. Eventually we will need to make green tech affordable, if we are going to change the world quickly. While it may be expensive for a while, the more people who buy sustainable goods and make demands on the other retailers, the more quickly the prices will come down to earth. For now, I am happy that there is a green community that comes together to raise awareness, celebrate change--and share chocolate.

Cam and Jack ask the guys from Solio how their solar chargers will charge a Game Boy.

Did this festival raise the consciousness of a couple of 11-year-olds? You bet. Was it the chocolate? No. I think they were genuinely excited by the green promise—and especially the promise of sustainably charged Game Boys.

An 11-year-old’s impressions of the Green festival:

I tagged along with my friend Cammy and his mom and dad to the Green Festival. I had no idea what to expect, but I was surprised at all the things I learned about. There are so many ways you can conserve energy and help the environment by just making really small changes. They had all kinds of great solar gadgets that we got to check out. Some of the gadgets were super cool, like the Interactive radio and the LED flashlight with a crank and a sundial. This contraption would be awesome to take camping. It would keep you entertained for hours, cranking it up and listening to the radio. Another memorable item was paper made from elephant dung (it didn’t even smell bad!). The Solio hybrid charger seems like it would be a really useful item. It is a charger that you put in the sun and it takes 8 hours to fully charge. You can use a tab to charge any electronic appliance such as an iPod, cell phone, or hand-held game (my favorite!). When I left I felt I knew a lot more about helping the environment and staying green. Since then I have been trying to conserve energy, save water, not let food go to waste, and be more aware. I am telling my friends to do the same. After all, it is our generation who will be charged with saving the earth, and the sooner we start, the better. -- Jack Vejvoda