Oktoberfest to Sustainability

.Our first Oktoberfest is now in the​ history books.
Wow it was an amazing turnout! The local community surprised us with their support! 
We had contests, activities and live music. What  helped us the most was the planning.
We sat down and brainstormed the ideas and eventually came up with a plan.
Putting it all down on  paper and later onto our website page helped keep us focused.
We were not stressed about this Market and it flowed from one activity to the other.
My personal favorite was the pet parade. Second most favorite... playing in the Polka Band.
The vendors had great wares to sell and they participated in dressing the part with their Dirndl's , Lederhosen and Jaeger hats.
 
We are now in another planning mode. The Christmas Market Dec. 17&18.
The theme is a Handmade Christmas. We are thinking of a Cookie Exchange (24 cookies).
A contest  " Handmade Sustainable Items." This is a broad area but can include anything that you have handmade that you feel is sustainable to our local environment. The sustainable contest has been postponed to next year .

We now have a Handmade Gift Contest for the Christmas Market. More details to follow on the Farmers Market page


The definition of sustainable is something that can be continued or a practice that maintains a condition without harming the environment. An example of sustainable is the practice of reduce, reuse and recycle. We as a whole market will be implementing more sustainable uses for the future.

If you look up the meaning of sustainable there is a lot to learn. My thoughts were always on the environmental aspect but I now realize that Blumenflor has been practicing sustainability in other aspects as well. There are 4 pillars to consider, Human, Economic, Social and Environmental.

Human sustainability focuses on the importance of anyone directly or indirectly involved in the making of products, or provision of services. 

Social sustainability aims to preserve social capital by investing and creating services that constitute the framework of our society. It means to preserve future generations and to acknowledge that what we do can have an impact on others and on the world.

Have I lost you yet? It all boils down to this... We love our community and will do whatever it takes to preserve it for the future generations.

So here are examples for the above mentioned Contest: Recycled Feed Bags, Rainwater harvest system, Windpower,  self made wood burning stove, Quilts out of used materials,
Gardening techniques etc. 

It will probably end up being more like a Science Fair where the contestants demonstrate their projects that they have implemented. It can also be with pictures or the item itself. This is going to be interesting!

Our Market is so very unique that every customer/visitor goes home with their own  special experience of being here.

Blumenflor as a Garden Center is always a learning experience. If you come with a question we find the answer or we already know it. We are here to help you become a sustainable member of our community. Sometimes it just starts with coming out to the Market or buying an indoor plant for your office space or starting a garden.

Thanks for looking us up. We appreciate everyone of you!