RETURN TO POWER PLAY

ENERGY
THEMES

ENERGY THEMES:

Special not-to-be-missed events will accompany each of these themed weeks! Check back soon for all the details.

Upcycled Fashion Show!

Thursday, December 9, 2010
From 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Join folks at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on Thursday evening, December 9th for a fantastic evening dedicated to fashion ~ the upcycled kind!

What is UPCYCLING?

You take old clothes, take them apart and put them back together in a way that makes them more valuable and fashionable.

Local upcycled fashion diva, Gyllian Rae Svensson, owner of The Bobbin Sew Bar & Craft Lounge, along with some of her fashion friends and models, will strut their fashion stuff on the runway at ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center on Thursday, December 9, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

“That is a really radical act, to take responsibility for the clothes we put on our bodies”, said Ms. Svensson in 2007 when she founded the Bobbin, a textile recycling studio and sewing education center to support sustainable fashion. The Upcycled Fashion Show idea was born out of one of the themes supporting the current traveling exhibit at ECHO, Conservation Quest ~ Power Play. “We wanted to draw attention to the amount of energy it takes to create clothing”, said Bridget Butler, ECHO’s Conservation Education Specialist and the emcee for the evening event. “For instance one pair of sneakers takes 3,497 liters of oil, a pair of jeans, 4,099. A knit hat takes 80 liters of oil. This is a fun event where people can become more aware not only of recycling clothing, which we are used to doing, but also being creative and increasing the value of something”.

Joining Ms. Svensson of The Bobbin will be Rebecca Mack of Flying Hen Studio and Sarah O’Green of Mountain Ash Design. Guests will have the opportunity to hear from each design studio as models walk the runway. There will also be a Q&A session with designers after their collection is presented.

Agenda for the evening:

6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Guests Arrive, free hors d’oeuvres, cash bar
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Three Fashion Collections presented with alternating discussion with designers
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Mingle with designers and models.

The evening event, designed for ECHO’s adult audience, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with music provided by a local D.J., free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets in advance are $10 for ECHO members and $12 for non-members and $12 and $15 at the door the evening of the event. Visitors are encouraged to wear creative attire from their own “upcycled” fashion style and to bring winter wear to donate to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.

For more information and to reserve tickets call (toll-free) 1.877.324.6386.

The Food Less Traveled

Thursday, November 11, 2010
From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Join neighbors and friends at this unique adult food-themed event where area Chefs compete to prepare dishes using the least “food miles” and guests vote on their favorite local tastes. Enjoy delicious, locally-sourced food, cash bar and an opportunity to taste, mingle and cast your vote for participating restaurants such as American Flatbread, Cosmic Bakery & Cafe, The Farm House Tap & Grill, Skinny Pancake, The Spot, and Sugarsnap! Recipes will be judged by participants based on low food miles, taste and presentation. Cheryl Herrick, food blogger for crankycakes.com, will MC the event by conducting interviews with chefs, revealing the food miles for each event and raising awareness about local food sources and choices. WPTZ's Tom Messner will broadcast live from ECHO during the event!

$10 for ECHO members and $12 for non-members.
Reservations/Tickets call 802.864.1848, ext. 100

Agenda for the evening:

More Details:

On Thursday, November 11th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., ECHO guests will be invited to taste a delightful array of foods created by professional chefs from several area restaurants as well as from local “amateur” chefs. The challenge to each chef is to create a food dish that uses ingredients that have traveled the least distance, called “food miles”.

“We wanted to create an event that will educate people about the value of making local food choices in terms of energy savings, economic vitality (by keeping it local) and the quality of the food consumed in freshness and taste. All of the restaurants we approached are eager to do this”, according to Molly Loomis, ECHO’s Director of Education. “Also, this event allows us to create a fun, social environment where adults can mingle and learn, which is all a part of our new life-long learning initiative”.

Tickets, which are available in advance by calling ECHO at 802.864.1848, ext. 100, are $12.00 ($10.00 for ECHO Members) with 50% of each ticket sold going to the Vermont Foodbank and the balance to ECHO’s educational programming. “This is a wonderful way for our organization to receive much needed funds in advance of the holidays”, said John Sayles, Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Foodbank. “Our organization supports more than 280 food shelves, meal sites, shelters, senior centers and after school programs throughout Vermont and collectively we help feed as many as 86,000 Vermonters. We are coming into a critical season of need for many of our clients and we are so very grateful to ECHO and to the participating chefs for their generosity”, adds Mr. Sayles.

This event is made possible by the promotional support and generosity of the following partners:

Restaurants:
Sugarsnap, The Farm House Tap and Grill, American Flatbread, Cosmic Bakery and Café, The Skinny Pancake and The Spot.

Organizations:
Vermont Foodbank, Vermont Fresh Network, NOFA-VT

With Support From:

Featuring: