December 17th, 2007 · No Comments

By John DeFore

Among the varied art bazaars and crafts fairs vying for holiday dollars in Austin, Texas this month was one hoping to direct that gift-giving cash toward presents with a purpose. The “Sustainable Shopper’s Ball” featured dozens of booths selling green wares, promoting services, and simply educating visitors about ways to minimize their environmental footprint.

At a booth run by the local utility, a woman approached with an odd request: “Do you have something I can put on my neighbor’s door about the big 150-watt security light he leaves on all the time?” The confrontation-averse visitor seemed to be expecting an informational flier, but instead she got a free compact fluorescent bulb; the cheeky utility spokesman suggested that she could switch the bulbs out herself and see if her neighbor ever noticed.

A few booths down was another kind of giveaway: Central Texas arboreal advocates Tree Folks were distributing free foot-high loquats, fruit trees which grow easily in the Austin hill country region. The Tree Folks tout urban tree planting as a way to minimize water use and cool neighborhoods.

Other stalls housed both individual merchants and retailers like the all-things-green Good Common Sense, which is based in Austin but sells nationwide online. GCS’s booth housed everything from dish detergent and wind-up radios to a big display of “Madmats” — psychedelic-colored variations on traditional rug patterns that are made from recycled soda bottles and meant to be used outdoors, where they can simply be hosed off when they’re dirty.

Chris Searles, owner of Good Common Sense, is also the creator of the Shopper’s Ball. He says that this Christmas’s event drew “more people and a really great blend of people, at that.” There were fewer retailers, he acknowledges, but those who participated were “a broader representation over all.” (See a list of vendors on the Shopper’s Ball website.)

The day was overcast and windy, so the the Ball may not have drawn quite the crowd it could have otherwise, but organizers were thinking ahead by planning entertainment to go with the commerce: An elaborate rig from Sustainable Waves (a business with offices in Texas and California) featured a bandstand whose amps were solar-powered (see photo above), while a tent across the pavement was littered with diversions for kids.

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