By Brandon Park
Staff Writer

The Madison-Morgan Conservancy, the Church of the Advent, the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center and HunkerDowns Fresh Market collectively held the first annual Sustainability Expo last Saturday.
   

Beginning at 10 a.m., hundreds of citizens entered The Hall to educate themselves on how to become better "Stewards for the Earth."
   

"We thought it was a great, successful inaugural event," Chris McCauley, of the Madison-Morgan Conservancy, said. "We had several members of the community stop by, and the puppet show was a huge hit. We have already begun to plan next year's expo."
   

Vendors on hand included Farm Bureau in the "Agricultural Preservation" category; GeoLoop and Phelps Heating and Air in "Geothermal Heating and Air Condition;" Hall Smith Office, Athens Emerging Green Builders and Rialto Property Partners in "Green Architecture;" the Community Foundation for Morgan County, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and USDA Rural Energy for America Program as "Grantors for Implementing Sustainable Technologies;" The Old Friends and Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in "Historic Preservation;" the Georgia Land Conservation Program in "Land Conservation Tools;" Morgan County and Keep Morgan Beautiful in "Recycling;" Sun Solar Systems in "Solar Power;" Branch Timberlands, Inc. and the Georgia Forestry Commission in Sustainable Forestry;" and rain barrels and water smart landscaping and native plants in "Landscaping."
   

Also on display were several pieces of art from students at Morgan County Elementary School, Morgan County Middle School and Morgan County High School. The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art displayed "Recycled Sculpture", a sculpture that was constructed by children with recycled metal collected from across the county.
   

At 10:30 a.m. the "Woopets," life-size puppets performed "Echoes of Eco," a one-hour show that focused on the idea of ecology and the environment.

"The puppet show was the hit of the Expo," McCauley said. "It was really fun to watch and it brought out a lot of children and their parents. It was a show for everyone to enjoy and learn."
   

McCauley added, "Overall, with this being our first event, we think it great. The conservancy and the other sponsors would like to thank all the vendors and the cultural center for providing the space for the expo, HunkerDowns Fresh Market for feeding everyone and the members of the community for coming out."