The N.C. State Fair goes green

NC State Fair recycling bin

I’ve got the blues….the N.C. State Fair is over, and I never got a corn dog. But, don’t feel too bad for me. I did manage to eat some tasty fries and fresh grilled corn smothered in molten butter. This year, the North Carolina State Fair broke an attendance record. More than one million people entered the gates to try unusual food like the Krispy Kreme burger, ride the Ferris wheel and see goats, cows and horses.

The fair is an annual event for my family and I – we show dairy cows. This is the first time I have noticed a large scale recycling effort at the 11-day event. Back in 2008, fair organizers used biodiesel to fuel the Midway and collected used cooking oil, but those aren’t actions fairgoers can take an active part in. Last year, the fair put out recycling bins, but there were only 25 placed throughout the entire area. This year, visitors were encouraged to toss their plastic bottles in large recycling bins found near every trash can. A total of 90 recycling stations were set up inside buildings and out on the fairgrounds. I guess the State Fair read my blog post about the Mountain State Fair’s lack of recycling.

The high demand for fried Snickers and funnel cakes results in a lot of leftover cooking oil. Starting in 2008 with the “Funnel Cakes for Fuel” program, the fair collected more than 8,500 gallons of cooking oil. The oil was processed into B100 biodiesel and sent to the state’s 18 Agricultural Research Stations for use in farm equipment, as well as tractor-trailers that deliver supplies to N.C. schools. With all the food battered and dipped in bubbling oil, I’m sure the fair collected even more this year.

The fair also continued powering a few buildings with biodiesel and outfitted Dorton Arena with energy-efficient LED lights.

After the cows were herded out of the barn and the roller coasters were packed up, I’m sure the fair also broke a recycling record.