Ellie Gibeau & Kara Antinarelli
While working for the Sustainable Sarasota department of Sarasota County Government, Ms. Ellie Gibeau and Ms. Kara Antinarelli had the opportunity to work on one of the most rewarding projects of their career. The idea for a "sustainability" festival came from Antinarelli's husband Darren Henegar while on a walk together. After weeks of discussion, and the encouragement of Sustainable Sarasota's manager Jodi John, the festival was born. Many meetings and discussions later came the name Efest - a compilation of all of the "E's that represent sustainability - Earth, energy, economy, environment, entrepreneurship, ecology, equity, education, etc.
Gibeau and Antinarelli embraced this project with commitment and passion - overcoming many obstacles, challenges and false starts. Sarasota County Government was the incubator for getting through the inaugural year. The City of Sarasota, Friends of Sarasota County Parks (FOSCP), Sarasota Herald Tribune, Natural Awakenings Magazine, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Sarasota Conservation Foundation were the major contributors. Many other businesses also supported this first event through financial support, in-kind contributions and volunteering countless hours of time.
No longer at the County, Gibeau and Antinarelli were not sure if they would continue the festival in 2006, but the encouragement to move ahead was overwhelming. Prior exhibitors and sponsors called and emailed asking about "next year's Efest". The FOSCP Board also encouraged the women to continue and offered their continuing support. The deciding vote was the support of Randy Moore and Natural Awakenings Magazine. A committed proponent of sustainability and healthy living, Randy promised continued support for Efest 2006.
Our community is filled with smart, conscientious citizens, but as we all know, educating oneself to the many options involved in sustainable living is a time-consuming effort. This is why Gibeau and Antinarelli have compiled a variety of resources from near and far to provide a wonderful, one-day experience again this year.
New at Efest 2006 will be Sarasota News and Books offering an Author Series - inviting five known authors to speak and sign books; Natural Awakenings Magazine will offer even more coverage of Efest this year offering exhibitors and sponsors the kind of media exposure that is often difficult to get and afford; a larger, more centralized "Food Garden" offering healthy food and beverage choices and including a shaded eating area; two performance stages with ongoing music, dance, puppets and more; and the always popular Kid-e-Zone with interactive fun for children of all ages.
Concerned that some might conjure up visions of radical change and decline to attend, the women crafted efest to be a gentle initiation to encourage people to make small, comfortable changes that all add up to making big differences in the way we live. Efforts were also made to "energize" Sarasota's existing green community.
Gibeau and Antinarelli represent a progressive voice and are succeeding in guiding this community in a direction of environmental responsibility and resource conservation. They are reaching out into the local government and business community for support of this well-received event.
For information about how to become a sponsor, exhibitor or volunteer and to see a site map, see photos from previous Efests, and more, visit the website: http://www.efest.us
Ellie Gibeau, Coordinator
Efest, A festival created to celebrate sustainability!
ellie@efest.us
941-504-1015