No Tie Dye Required | Andrea from Chamisal Vineyards
When I hit the radio “tour” for our first Earth Day Food & Wine Festival in 2007, I was pretty excited to get the word out to try and sell tickets.
Prepped with all the relevant event info, I brought my enthusiasm to the studio to promote our little party that celebrates farmers and the environment.
One of my first interviews went something like this:
- Him: So, I’ve never really heard of anything like this. Are there going to be be hippies in tie dye eventually stripping their clothes off and jumping in a lake?
- Me: Uh….. <long pause, followed by who knows what kind of a response>
At that moment, I realized that there was a connotation with Earth Day that didn’t match what people thought of a Food & Wine Festival. And it wasn’t until that moment, that I realized that some people might not get it.
Tie Die. Dreadlocks. Grateful Dead.
Don’t get me wrong, all of that is groovy, but that was not going to be what our little party was going to look like.
<At least that’s not what I thought it was going to look like. We hadn’t had one yet, so I suppose I didn’t really know.>
Thinking of my own view of Earth Day, I think of my grandmother. She was raised in the depression and wastes NOTHING. She recycled before there were blue containers. She rinses and reuses every baggie. And as far back as I can remember, there have been buckets in the shower that collect water for her houseplants. And yet, she would never call herself an environmentalist.
My grandma is very “green”, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at her. But from her I learned to be lest wasteful and to reuse what I can. Every day. Not just in April.
So one of the fun things about promoting this event has been about having the discussion about an evolving environmental awareness that does not necessarily match the traditional stereotype.
Students. Professionals. Young. Old. Hikers. Riders. Surfers. But all are eaters, and they GET it.
That is one of the things that I’m most proud of about this event.
It attracts all types of people who get it and who are happy to thank a farmer for their part in growing great foods & wines, all while caring for the environment.
You will see women in heels or tevas. The guys will sport jackets or t-shirts. The food and wine will be amazing and very high end, but there will be a very comfortable and casual vibe through the day.
There may be some tie die spotting, but tie die is not required.
Earth Day Food & Wine Festival | April 21, 2012
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