 
It was the Camden Green Fair on Sunday – of course, you knew that,
having read my Green Diary Dates
page, right? The day wasn't billed as your typical funfair, but a
kinder, gentler festival. Instead of noisy, fume-spewing
generators, thumping bass music and scream-inducing rides, there
promised to be a calm, philosophical air to the proceedings. 
Kind of a hard sell for two under-fives. In an
attempt to
persuade my children to swap the cool of the paddling pool for a
hot bus, I announced we were heading to a funfair.
"Don't get their hopes up; it's not a funfair," said my husband. "Well, it'll be a
fun fair," I said, crossing my fingers there would be a ride or two, but
presuming a bouncy castle would be out of the question. I can't find
exact stats on a bouncy castle's carbon footprint, but it's surely not Cinderella-sized, more ugly stepsister.
 When we arrived it was boiling hot and quite still, so a wind-powered bouncy castle might have been a damp squib, but a
solar-powered ride
was in full swing (above). In the end, the tots were so hot and
bothered, they decided ice cream would be more fun than queueing, and
the great ice cream trek began.
Many vendors said they couldn't sell ice cream, as on-site generators
were not allowed. Still, one stand's sign read 'Hot Donuts' so
either they found  an alternative power source or they simply realised a sign advertising 'Lukewarm Donuts' wouldn't draw the punters.
Ice creams finally sorted – from a pedal-powered vendor – and scoffed, we
all popped into the cool respite of the Croissant Neuf Circus's big top (above), run by the sun- and wind-powered Green Roadshow. The Roadshow also included the solar swing ride, several informative displays and the solar fountain (right).
As evening drew near, with
teatime long overdue and the children wilting, my husband hustled them off to
the bus stop while I scurried around to as many booths as possible, from organic food to fashions and  furnishings.
There were several electric cars (like this one from the Nice Car
Company), a solar car, car clubs and electric motorbikes, not to
mention bicycles everywhere (it was Bikefest too).
I
completely missed the Solar Cinema and the ethical fashion show, and I was moving too
fast for a relaxing yoga session. Knitting? Well, let's just say that's
a green step too far for me. Next year, I'm going extra early, to make
sure I don't miss a trick. Time to slow down and smell the (organic, fair
trade) coffee.
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