Eco-minded Philadelphians were graced with a picture-perfect day yesterday for GreenFest.

The historic Headhouse Square was lined with rows of green businesses and non-profit organizations. It was refreshing to look around and see hundreds of like-minded people gathered in one place. Though we’re constantly interacting with so many of Philadelphia’s eco- activists and green companies, it’s always revitalizing to chat in person.

Green Philly Blog set up shop with folks from the Clean Air Council – who did an excellent job organizing this year’s event.

For us, much of the day was focused on discussing the Plastic Bag Ban. Julie and I spoke with countless festival goers and exhibitors about the impetus behind the plastic bag reduction program.

Our unofficial mascot  – the “plastic bag monster” was a hit. As seen in the photo above the plastic bag monster demonstrates what the average American’s annual plastic bag use looks like – by wearing 500 bags! Many a family photo were taken with the bag monster.

Some of our takeaways from conversation with Greenfest attendees?

• Philadelphians DO want to see plastic bag use drastically reduced in the city and surrounding suburbs.
• Even those who happened to be carrying a plastic bag with them (the horror!) as they stopped by post-Sunday errands said they want to break the habit and would support the reduction.
• On this given Sunday and as we’ve heard in the past… dog owners and walkers are wondering about their alternatives. (Not to worry, we’ll be discussing this soon on GPB!)

The results?

We totaled roughly another 650-700 signatures supporting the petition by day’s end!

Thank you to all who stopped by and signed! Please continue to pass on the petition to family and friends.

All in all, GreenFest 2012 was a special day and we thank the Clean Air Council and all who participated for their hard work.

Don’t forget to hit up the Headhouse Square Farmers Market for the remaining Sundays of the season. I sampled my first fall apple and pears yesterday, and they were pure autumn tastiness.

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Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari