Growing up, Katherine Winans' father taught her the importance of conserving water, recycling and growing her own food.
Winans is sharing her knowledge by serving as exhibit coordinator for the Green Living Festival from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday in Gardnerville's Lampe Park.
"It's the right thing to do. If I can make my corner of the world a better place, then that's where I have to start. In my own backyard," Winans said. "We want Carson Valley and the local communities to know there are resources available to help them live in a sustainable way."
Sponsored by the Sustainable Living and Renewable Energy Roundup, the free event features presentations on gardening, geothermal systems, star gazing and wine making. Dr. Solar and his Good Time Sunshine Traveling Medicine Show will be back, as well as Full Circle Compost's Greatest Tomato Tasting in Nevada.
Author Mat Stein will be speaking on "Making Shift Happen: Transforming Collapse into Global Renaissance" and "Party Like It's 1929."
"He's going to talk about how we need to rethink how we think about things," Winans said. "He includes energy and food production, the whole sustainability issue."
In the Discovery Center, children's activities include the bicycle blender, cookie baking in a solar oven, a giant inflatable Lahontan cutthroat trout and an enviroscape model of the Carson Valley watershed.
Visitors can follow the trail and read every historical marker in Nevada without even leaving the park.
"Our take on it is that people are really interested in learning about this stuff. Our exhibitors say the people who come visit their booths are really interested in what they are exhibiting," Winans said. "It's for families that need to know how to save some money, and people who want to do their small part in making this a better place to live."
Organizers are still accepting commercial exhibitors, nonprofits and food vendors. Applications are available online at www.greenlivingfest.org or contact Katherine Winans at jkw@gbis.com or 267-0539.