Find us at Earth Day Dallas 2012

About

EDD is an annual, outdoor festival seeking to elevate environmental awareness and influence the way North Texans think, live and work. The family-friendly and free-admission event allows leaders in the corporate, academic and non-profit worlds to unite and show North Texans how green lifestyle choices can lower their cost of living, improve their health, and help save the environment.

EDD is excited to announce its 2012 Earth Day will take place at Fair Park, in the heart of Dallas, Texas. The event will utilize approximately 600,000 square feet of both indoor and outdoor event space. EDD’s footprint will easily accommodate the 600 exhibitors and 75,000 guests anticipated to attend this year’s event.

The heart of the festival is the Eco Expo, and exhibitors will use their presence to promote their achievements as green leaders, and teach attendees how to take environmentally responsible action by better utilizing available resources, switching to eco-friendly products, or joining their organizations.

In addition to the Eco Expo, attendees will have a number of educational entertainment options, which will include:

Green Talk Speaker Series with topics including water, global warming and the future sustainability of North Texas
Artfully Green Film Series
Family Zone featuring Radio Disney and hands-on environmental activities
University Row with over 20 universities and colleges
Live music at the Band Shell featuring Amos Lee
Workshop corners demonstrating composting, rainwater harvesting, and green money-saving tips
Community yoga
Picnic for the Planet: Help break the world’s record for the largest, simultaneous global picnic!
DFW Truck Farm 5K Fun Run
Live BMX shows
Dallas Urban Debate Alliance environmental, student debates
Dance Performances

Concessions will include healthy, organic and gluten-free options, in addition to everyone’s favorite festival treats. Beer and wine will be sold to adults 21 and older.

Our History

EDD was founded in September of 2010 and produced the first large-scale Earth Day festival in Dallas, Texas, which was held on April 22 and 23, 2011. The festival provided a forum for public education where corporations, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations came together to showcase their environmental initiatives, present ideas and perspectives, debate, and provide community volunteer opportunities.

EDD’s inaugural festival was held in the downtown Dallas Arts District with a footprint that spanned seven city blocks. The festival’s Eco Expo featured exhibitors with diverse backgrounds, including: 92 businesses, 16 academic institutions, 5 hospitals, 20 government and political groups, 27 national non-profits, and 79 regional non-profits.

The event included live music, Green Talk Speaker Series, Artfully Green Film Series, community yoga, Chevrolet Volt ride & drive, dance performances, concessions, beer and wine garden, Smart Car rally, eco-fashion show, children’s entertainment, and arts-and-crafts stations.

The Earth Day Network, an organization dedicated to tracking green events across the nation, announced EDD 2011 as the second largest Earth Day celebration in America with 48,000 people in attendance. EDD’s 2011 media relation efforts garnered 520 million impressions over the wire through local, national, earned and paid media.

The event’s eco-friendly initiatives helped offset nearly 300 metric tons of CO2 and diverted 70% of the event’s waste from landfills.

HOB will be "The House of Green" Earth Day Weekend!

In support of Earth Day Dallas and Earth Day celebrations around the world, The House of Blues will go by the name "The House of Green" for Earth Day weekend.

Southwest Kia Showcases the Optima Hybrid at Automotive Exhibit during Earth Day 2012

The Brand New Optima Hybrid as reviewed by InHabitat: Design will Save the World

The Optima Hybrid lithium polymer battery lasts 50% longer than any other Hybrid battery; creating less environmental waste in every element of its design. From production to utility this is one of the only true hybrids on the market. Its gas engine continues to charge its electrical counterpart as you drive, alternating seamlessly from electric motor back to the GDI engine as needed to optimize fuel economy in an incredibly quiet driving experience.

The Power to Surprise would be an understatement.

Inhabitat recently test drove the new Kia Optima Hybrid, one of a few dozen new hybrid vehicles set to hit the market over the next year or two. We didn't expect much in terms of efficiency or style, seeing as how Kia is a budget brand, but boy did this car surprise us. Our runs in the Optima Hybrid averaged nearly 40 miles per gallon--hardly what you would get from the mild hybrid we were expecting--and a friend even commented that the style had hints of Aston Martin. That's pretty high praise, but come along with us for a little ride to find out why the Kia Optima Hybrid surpassed nearly all our expectations and makes our list of decent options for green drivers.

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Why are we suddenly going ga ga over a Kia? It’s more than surpassed expectations and real value in an inexpensive hybrid. The Optima Hybrid is a sign of things to come. Until this point, car makers have struggled to fit a decent number of comforts in a hybrid vehicle while keeping the price down and the performance up. But if Kia can do it, others have to follow. We’ll have to wait and see about the longterm reliability of the Optima, but it feels solid, not at all like the mockup of a luxury car that you might expect. The $26,500 starting price suddenly buys you 40+ mpg and all the bells and whistles you could want in a sporty looking hybrid.