By Cliff Bellamy

cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744

DURHAM -- Residents of the Parkwood neighborhood wore their green colors Saturday -- metaphorically speaking. They were not celebrating this coming Wednesday's St. Patrick's Day, but were presenting information to visitors about living in a way that is greener, or more ecologically responsible.

The Parkwood Association's Energy Committee held its first Parkwood Green Living Fair at Parkwood Shopping Center Saturday. Vendors and members of nonprofit groups were on hand, and visitors learned about everything from the virtues of buying from local farms, to solar power, to rain barrels, to public transportation to preserving the Haw River.

Cathy Starkweather, co-chair of the Energy Committee along with husband Dan Oldman, said the association wants to make the fair an annual event. A screening of former Vice President Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" inspired her to take personal action, Starkweather said. She developed a series of ecology-related programs for the local library (where she is a reference librarian). Wearing a separate hat, she took her idea to the Parkwood Association board, and Saturday's fair was one of the results.

Recently, Parkwood Association applied for a grant from the federal Neighborhood Energy Retrofit Program, which helps residents make older homes more energy-efficient, she said. Many of Parkwood's homes date back to the early 1960s, and the organization wants to help residents renovate. "I think Parkwood is moving toward becoming a greener community," Starkweather said. "It's exciting."

Parkwood also participates in a community sustainable agriculture program, in which local farmers sell directly to consumers, often by subscription. Oldman encouraged the community to join that program. "It's helping have sustainable food around in our community," he said. "And, it's good food."

Nonprofit groups and vendors made their case for green strategies at various booths. Clean Energy Durham's booth had a display of energy-efficient lighting. The organization contracts with the city to help with retrofit programs, said Jenny Graves, the organization's community outreach coordinator. The organization conducts workshops in local homes, and gives demonstrations in insulation and other methods of energy efficiency.

At George Danser's booth, visitors saw a rain barrel display, a compost bin, as well as some of Danser's art glass jewelry, made from recycled glass. Danser said he tries to promote re-use as much as possible, "because there's a tremendous amount of energy used in manufacturing new things."

Mary Katherine Williams of the Durham-based The Forest Foundation had a booth with fair-trade items from different countries -- coffee, holiday gift jewelry, chocolate and other goods. The organization also promotes the use of biodiesel and other alternative fuels.