Waitrose and M&S join country folk for Sussex EcoFair 2008

Photo:david.nikonvscanon

Following last year’s inaugural event, 80 stalls have already been snapped up for EcoFair 2008, which will be held in Horsham Park in July.

Organisers, green architects Ecotecture, are calling for ‘truly green’ companies to fill the remaining 20 spaces, and join other stallholders that are also able to meet the fair’s strict ethical statement.

The day-long event (20 July) will cover Sussex’s Horsham Park with marquees and stall holders, providing entertainment, information and innovative ethical products to people wanting to know more about how to live more environmentally sustainable lives.

In marquees dotted around there’ll be various focuses, from advice on how to genuinely green your business, to marquees running free activities for children, from making models from recycled ‘junk’, to storytelling and stilt walking.

Exhibitors include Fair Trade Groups, a local Freecycle group, and renewable energy providers and advisors. There’ll be plenty of products that you might have seen anywhere before, like paper made from sheep’s poo and bags made from repulped drink cartons.

While there’s a large focus on linking consumers to the producers through small independent stalls, M&S and Waitrose have met the Fair’s ethical standards and will also be exhibiting. EcoFair founder Joanna Saady said: ‘EcoFair is going to be a huge event. We are thrilled that what we are trying to do has been recognised by so many big players including big high street players. But as well as global we are all about local and thinking locally and the majority of our stands have been taken up by companies and individuals who are trading in and around the Horsham area and locally in Sussex.’