Earth-friendly series sneaks into your favorite Dallas brewpubs
Earth Day Every Day
Seeking to move past its niche as a once-a-year event, Earth Day Texas is launching a monthly program to make its environmental message more frequent and more accessible.
The kick-off event is a conversation about local food that takes place September 17 at Craft & Growler in Exposition Park. From there, it'll happen every third Thursday of the month, at breweries such as Deep Ellum Brewing and Community Beer Co.
The goal of the series, says spokeswoman Jillian Mock, is to make eco-conscious thinking a part of daily life for every North Texan. Each session will feature a panel of speakers tackling a theme, such as sustainable food for the masses, smart energy, and eco-focused careers.
"Hosting events throughout the year is part of our mission," Mock says. "Rather than the way it's been, which is a blast in April, and then it's gone. Instead, how can we make this meaningful for people every day?"
That also explains their goal in choice of breweries as a venue.
"We're taking it to a place it hasn't been," Mock says. "It makes Earth Day more accessible, and maybe reaches people who haven't gone out to the annual event at Fair Park."
The program is called Earth Day Monthlies, aka EDMo — and as an aside doesn't that seem kind of mean to the "o"? —and is a collaboration with The Westwood School, an eco-focused K-12 school in North Dallas. At the inaugural event, speakers will include chef Chad Houser from Café Momentum, Katherine Clapner of Dude Sweet Chocolate, and Dustin Thibodeaux of Slow Food.
Mock says that the idea was an initiative of the Westwood School, which also wants to elevate its profile and its ecological curriculum. Earth Day Texas, which is adopting an abbreviated moniker EDTx — and as an aside doesn't that seem kind of mean to the "x"? — has been stepping up its game in the past few years, including booking higher profile speakers and allying itself with the Texas Veggie Fair. The 2016 event takes place on April 22-24.
"We're trying to connect with a part of Dallas culture we haven't been connected to, to promote the idea of sustainability," Mock says.
