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Another year. Another fine Irish Fest! We had beautiful weather, talented dancers and musicians and lots of great activities for kids–including Greenwish Village.

Coordinated by Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Greenwish Village teaches kids about caring for our environment through a series of interactive booths and games. Manned by volunteers from Milwaukee organizations such as Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Wehr Nature Center, The Department of Natural Resources and Milwaukee Recycles, kids got to learn about the emerald ash borer, recycling, energy efficiency and more. To encourage them to visit every booth, kids were given a bag with a bingo card on its side. They received a bingo marker for each booth they visited–with each valid bingo redeemable for a prize. What a great way to motivate kids to learn about the environment.

Greenwish Bingo Bag

I decided the only way to be able to responsibly report on Greenwish was to experience it for myself. Andrea, a volunteer from UPS, set me up with a bingo card, and off I went.

Light bulb panel.

When it became apparent that I was competing with kids for the activities, I decided to take a step back and let the little ones do the learning. Though the activities were intended for a younger crowd, I actually learned a lot…about composting, the ash borer, recycling. Just imagine how much the kids learned.

Learning about recycling.

Greenwish Village is an educational outreach effort that, I’m sure, will have long-lasting effects for the kids. It could also do the same for your company. If your organization believes in eco-awareness, sponsoring something like Greenwish or encouraging your employees is a great way to show your support, help non-profits like Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful get the word out and build a positive reputation for your company in the process.

According to Emily Brown, Education Program Manager for Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Greenwish Village has been an important part of Milwaukee Irish Fest for several years now. And from the interest I saw at Irish Fest 2009, Greenwish is bound to be around for many more.

Categories: Diana Bagley, Event Writeups, Green, recycling