(Photo: A promotional image for the Great Plains Restoration Council, one of Earth Day Dallas 2012's over 300 vendors)     

By Julie Thibodeaux     

This weekend, on April 21-22, Dallas is hosting one of the largest Earth Day celebrations in the U.S. in Fair Park. Earth Day Dallas will have exhibitors galore featuring green products and services, environmental organizations as well as its University Row, showcasing more than 20 educational institutions from Texas and beyond. 

While some products will be for sale, raising awareness is the goal. 

“The focus is really on educating attendees on how exhibitors incorporate ‘going green’ into their businesses, organizations and lifestyles, with the hope of inspiring North Texans to change the way they think, work and live,” said Caitlin Myers, Earth Day Dallas spokesperson.

Here are a few of the more than 300 businesses and organizations to be featured at the event:

Go Green Couriers

This Dallas-based delivery company offers a sustainable solution for your courier needs. Tony Hormillosa, a former bicycle messenger, and his brother Robert Hormillosa got the idea for the company when gas prices soared to more than $4. They recognized an untapped market for eco-friendly delivery services and launched Go Green Couriers in 2008. Today, they oversee a fleet of six hybrids and three bicycles. A four-hour delivery in downtown Dallas ranges from $9.50-$18.50. 

They’re already branching out beyond the Metroplex. 

“We’ve gone as far as Austin and Oklahoma City,” said Robert Hormillosa.  

See gogreencouriers.com.  

Whole Earth Provision Company

The locations on Mockingbird Lane and Preston Road feature everything from camping gear to apparel to kid’s toys. At Earth Day Dallas, the earth-friendly retail center will be showcasing its Makedo toys, which offers fun ways to make toys out of materials found around the house.

Store spokespersons will also be educating the public about how items recycled in the home are turned into new products.

“We’ll also be talking about our big fundraiser for April -- supporting Texas State Parks,” said Kristi Lyman, manager of the Mockingbird Lane store.  

See wholeearthprovision.com

Ecoimprint

The Fort Worth-based business specializes in earth-friendly promotional advertising products made from recyclable material. The vendor will have a booth at Earth Day Dallas featuring the wide variety of items the company sells. 

Ecoimprint’s catalog includes reusable grocery tote bags, pens and pencils, invitations, awards and banners made from recycled bottles, blue jeans, newspaper, yellow pages, electronics and polyester. 

 Co-owner Breezie Soward said sales continues to climb on eco-friendly product lines. The company’s clients include large corporations to municipalities and schools. 

“We have customers all over the state,” said Soward. 

See promoplace.com/ecoimprint.

Great Plains Restoration Council

Based in Fort Worth and Houston, GPRC works to restore and protect prairies and plains through developing youth leaders. Its main programs include its Restoration Not Incarceration, a program that enlists young men who’ve been in the Harris County Corrections System to work on restoration projects, and Plains Youth InterACTION, which offers school children an outdoor experience and opportunity to help save the habitat. See gprc.org.

Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

 Founded in 1901, The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies offers master’s degrees and doctoral programs and serves as a locus for research into local, regional and global environmental issues.

See environment.yale.edu

For a complete list of exhibitors, see earthdaydallas.org/exhibitors.

Julie Thibodeaux is a Fort Worth-based writer covering environmental issues, green topics and sustainable living. Previously, she worked as an editor and writer at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Contact her at julie@jthibodeaux.com