Marin County Fair kicks out green group

SAN RAFAEL, CA (KGO) -- Some are spending their Fourth of July at the Marin County Fair, which continues in San Rafael. It's called the greenest fair in the country, but one group is seeing red over something that happened on opening day.

It's labeled the "Greenest Fair in America" and is filled with innovative ideas. For example, there is a stage where the lighting and the sound system get juice thanks to solar panels, there is a green house filled with recycled materials, and alternative fuel vehicles. There is a truck that is all electric, an electric bicycle you pedal, but the engine kicks in when you need help going uphill. There is also a great example of how to recycle all food stuff. The fair has become the biggest composting factory in the county this week.

"Any paper product that touches food can be composted. That includes napkins, paper towels, paper cups," said Janice Sutton, a consultant.

There is even a booth with a green burial.

It seems everyone at the fair is focused on green and ways to reduce the carbon footprint.

"There's all sorts of reasons to do it and we'll accept any reason you have, it could be the pocketbook, it could be doing the right thing," said Dana Armanino with Marin Clean Energy.

One small group that promotes community choice energy is complaining about how they were handled opening day. Women's Energy Matters out of the East Bay was distributing leaflets when they were asked to leave. They were told it was inappropriate inside the fairgrounds.

"It's fine with us as long as it's outside of the gates. If an organization wants to come inside the fairgrounds gates, we ask that they purchase a booth space. And obviously over 200 groups have done that," said Jim Farley, the fair executive director.

He says they've always had an area at the entrance where people can circulate petitions. However, Dannisha Wright of the group says they were threatened with arrest if they didn't leave.

"To threaten children with a visit to the sheriff for distributing information on clean, green energy, at the greenest fair on Earth, is really overkill," said Wright.

"I'm not aware of that kind of claim. It sounds ridiculous to me," said Farley.

The group was back for Friday, outside the gates. The group was leafleting for Marin's new clean energy plan which provides customers with a way to buy green power with at was at least half-generated by renewable sources.

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environment, don sanchez

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