Scheduled Sunday, Aug. 24, in Halvorsen Park at the foot of L Street on the waterfront, the festival will feature “the world's largest organic salad,” nonstop music and scores of exhibitors, speakers and workshops. The festival is one of many events comprising HumWeek, Humboldt State University’s 8-day day marathon to kick off the new school year.
Cretser-Hartenstein, who goes by Jessie Misha, graduated from HSU in 2005. After completing graduate studies at the University of Sydney, Australia, she journeyed to the Middle East, visiting family in Kuwait and learning about environmental issues. She traveled extensively as an aspiring photojournalist through Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
“I was trying to decide whether I should stay in the Middle East or come back to California. This was a good place to get my foot in the door—the first step toward really delving into the non-profit world of community outreach,” she says.
While at Humboldt State, Cretser-Hartenstein was involved in the Student Naturalist Club. She says the clubs, professors and classes at Humboldt State “got my gears going and propelled me into action. This is why I am working now with CATS [Californians for Alternatives to Toxics],” the festival’s presenter. “My interests were cultivated greatly as a result of my time spent in Humboldt and particularly at HSU— the environment, education and the community.” As festival coordinator intern, she adds, “I look forward to bringing the community together and knowing that I was a part of getting the dialogue going.”
Vasquez is taking the year off from Humboldt State’s Environment & Community master’s program and is an intern with CATS. She fondly remembers the Organic Planet Festival as one of her first Humboldt experiences. “This really complements my HSU education, especially my interests in sustainable agriculture, organic farming and pesticide use,” she says. As an undergraduate at Chico State, Vasquez pursued Spanish and Latin American Studies and focused on social justice issues.
“After enrolling in Humboldt State, I began to see myself as an environmentalist,” she recalls, in particular environmental justice issues where social inequality and environmentalism intersect.
Both Cretser-Hartenstein and Vasquez recognize that it can be difficult for those without cars to get to Eureka. They have organized shuttles every 30 minutes that will stop at the 14th & Union Street parking lot on campus and the Arcata Co-Op downtown.
As a further incentive to choose alternative transportation, HSU’s Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) and Green Wheels will be running a bike check (similar to a coat-check) for free.
Festival entertainment highlights will include Grammy winner Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band, and roots reggae artists Queen Omega and Soul Majestic. Local bands will also perform throughout the day. The keynote speaker is Dr. Tyrone Hayes, a biologist and herpetologist at UC Berkeley who will explain his research into the effects of pesticides on amphibians and the toxic impact on human health.
Festival sponsor Eureka Natural Foods will dish up the World’s Largest Organic Salad, Wildberries Marketplace will host a Kids’ Village and Petting Zoo, and The North Coast Co-Op will offer a drawing for $1,000 in food gift certificates.
Admission is $7.00 in advance, $10.00 at the gate. Children 12 and under will be admitted free. Volunteers are needed for 4-hour shifts, and will receive a t-shirt along with free admission.