Self-Sustaining: Fourth Annual Environmental Festival Sets Record

Free food—including pizza, sandwiches and coffee—fueled the fourth annual Sustain La Mesa Environmental Festival at the Harry Griffen Park amphitheater Saturday. Greg Humora, the city’s public works director and secretary of the sponsoring Environmental Sustainability Commission, called it the largest event in the series.

Some 55 commercial, civic and school booths (including Helix Charter High School and Cuyamaca College) connected with hundreds of people on a warm day. Kids and adults were drawn to face-painting clowns, garden experts, a red-shouldered hawk and ways to save the planet.

A series of speakers answered questions from the concrete stage, with recycling bins everywhere. Award-winning student artwork honored early in the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. event was on display, and winners from the “Our Planet, Our Home” contest will be moved to the La Mesa branch library through the end of the month.