Photos by Jee-na Pok
Change is in the air. That’s the theme of the 4th Annual Green Long Beach Festival (which takes place Saturday). If that sounds like an awfully optimistic statement for any environmental group to make in a world plagued by humanity-influenced climate change and ruinous Big Business practices, Green Long Beach! will tell you that, while we have far to go, our society — and particularly our city are making progress.
“‘Change is in the air’ is partly about physical changes, such as improved air quality thanks to [e.g.] the clean-trucks program at the Port,” says Green Long Beach!’s Elliot Gonzalez. “The Green Port program has made significant impacts in emissions reduction, But we’re also talking about the feeling of change in the air. […] There’s a level of awareness that has never been here before […] When we would try to talk about [a concept like] sustainability originally, that topic was just [left] out of the discussion. But now with major organizations like the Port and the City taking a proud stance on sustainability…. That feeling of change is happening on a global level; and on a local level it is finally starting to be seen.”
But Long Beach retains its share of problems that have yet adequately to be addressed. Chief among those, Gonzalez says, is the quality of Long Beach’s coastline — one of the driving reasons behind Green Long Beach!’s decision to hold this year’s festival in Marina Green Park, which is within hailing distance of the ocean.
“We want people [at the festival] to have that hands-on feel for the ocean,” Gonzalez explains. “We’re named after a beach, but we’re not like Seal Beach or Huntington Beach or Redondo Beach. Why is that? Is it the Port? Is it the oil islands? Does this feel like a beach community? […] We’re going to talk about the impact of oil just not on our beach but on all of the oceans. […] We’ve pretty much lost the Gulf of Mexico. We have this giant Pacific Gyre in the center of the ocean that’s twice the size of Texas. What are we going to do about that? We want the community to realize the impact of industry and of oil, whether it’s pollution in the air or something that you actually see that’s preventing us from living in [an area with] a thriving, swimmable ocean that the California coastline’s meant to be.”
While the status of the environment may not be all fun and games, the Green Long Beach Festival definitely has that component, with this year’s iteration adds a fitness and wellness zone. Trilogy Yoga will be sponsoring free yoga all day (in fact, yoga will be part of the festival’s opening ceremony), and attendees can avail themselves of zumba, kundalini, acro yoga, capoeira, and a rock-climbing wall. Additionally, individuals are encouraged to bring soccer balls, Frisbees, or whatever else will help to motivate people to take advantage of the green space at Marina Green Park.
As with previous festivals, live music will be prominently featured, although this year more so than ever, with over 20 musical artists playing throughout the day on two separate stages, a biodiesel stage for amplified acts, and an “off the grid” stage for acoustic acts. Scheduled acts include Slushbox, Natural Hi-Fi, Lowlylisa + the Rollie Pollies, and Paper Kites. Fire-dancing troupe Sirena Serpentina is also on the bill, as is an eco-fashion show.
According to an event press release, the festival also “proudly encompasses many bike-friendly incentives, including tune-ups, free bike valet, and an organized bike ride to the festival. A cell phone recycling drive will also be incorporated into the event for the public to donate old (working or non-working) cell phones. Free water refills will also be provided to all festival attendees who bring their reusable water bottles.”
These disparate elements fit together under the rubric of green initiatives “because it’s not just about the festival: it’s a celebration of all the green activities that are going on, says Gonzalez.
While Green Long Beach! has been successful in obtaining various sorts of sponsorship from over 20 local small businesses, large sponsors are still hard to come by.
“Sponsorship is never easy,” sighs Gonzalez, “it’s never easy. A lot of major companies talk green, but when it comes down to it, [the festival] is such a small event — it’s not like those large corporate events — that we never receive the large sponsorship that we ask for from the [organizations] that are actually able to provide the resources. But every year we always get by because of small businesses contributing whatever they can. In a way it’s something I’m very proud of: that all of our sponsors are local. […] Whether they’re providing resources or monetary donations, it all adds up to what pays the bills for the festival. […] You can’t find a[nother] green festival that is completely owned by small businesses.”
Green Long Beach! is a completely volunteer organization, and so for its members the festival is a true labor of love, a labor whose payoff is the growth of the festival and increased social awareness of environmental issues locally.
“The reason that we do it is we all have this vision that we all believe in: a sustainable planet that can be activated by working on a sustainable city,” Gonzalez says. “The reason why we do this is that we love our city, and we believe our community can make a difference. […] We’ve grown ever since Year 1. […] As the festival has gone on and people have gotten excited by just attending, we’ve grown, and we’ve helped cultivate a stronger sense of community.
One admirer Green Long Beach! has in local government is Vice-Mayor Suja Lowenthal, who attended last year’s festival and will be there again this year.
“The Green Long Beach Festival has evolved from being a stop-by for the truly passionate enviros to an all-day event offering something for everyone interested in improving our environment,” she says. “That transition from a subset to the general population embracing a festival focused on the environment is not only a nod to Green Long Beach!’s hard work and success, but an indication that residents are becoming more educated about and supportive of our collective efforts to tackle the issues impacting our air, water, and marine environment.”
When asked if the City of Long Beach is doing all that it should be doing to help protect and improve the environment, Gonzalez takes a long pause before answering: “I would say the change in the city…I’m looking from the bottom up. And that’s what inspires me. I see the community taking action. I see the community going from disempowered and looking for leadership to feeling empowered and being leaders. There was a lot of resistance from City at first. But since then they’ve opened up. They’re not where I feel they could be, but at lest they’re starting to recognize the importance of what we’re doing. But I feel what’s most important is that the community feels that we’re able to make an impact. When we first started, we weren’t so sure of that. […] I am heartened and I am filled with hope because I see that the change is coming from the community. I used to look to leaders, but now I think that leaders are looking to us.”
The 4th Annual Green Long Beach Festival takes place Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Marina Green Park (you know, that stretch of green south of Shoreline Drive running westward roughly from Alamitos Avenue). Admission is free. For more information, including a festival map and schedule of events, visit greenlb.org.