WHAT?

A Chemically clever fair, Kemikaliekoll Åland – detoxa din vardag (”detox your living”), the 6th October 2018. The main event of the Chemically Clever Åland at Home project.

WHY?

Raising awareness about chemicals in everyday life, AND showing that healthy and sustainable alternatives exist. An event for the whole family; a place to meet, learn and get inspired and encouraged: ” It’s not as difficult as I thought. I can make a difference to both my family’s health and the environment with my choices”.

HOW?

A playful and festive fair for all senses (listening, smelling, tasting, touching...), with free admission both for the exhibitioners and the audience. Selling of chemically clever products (from cleaning and cosmetics to toys and textiles... even straw module houses) and a wide range of items on the program.

Inspired and encouraged: People need to meet

When it comes to awareness raising, the success of an event is often measured by the amount of newcomers: We want to reach ”new” people. Planning for the Chemically Clever Fair, however, we deliberately focused equally on ”ordinary” people and those already dedicated. Why?

During the chemical project, it has become clear how important it is to meet and talk to like-minded people. The chemically clever alternatives are not always easy to find in conventional stores, and to be the ever-conscious, ”difficult” customer can be tiresome and lonely. Awareness and facts are not enough: Most of us also need a refill of motivation now and then to carry on. We need to get inspired, to have fun and to feel we are not the only ones making an effort.

Planning the fair, we wanted to create a venue where people could meet, learn from each other and discuss everyday choices with like-minded, experts and newbies alike. Many of the exhibitioners were local pioneers and micro-entrepreneurs. At the fair we could offer them a space for networking and marketing themselves for free. We wanted to create a warm and including atmosphere for organizers and exhibitioners as well as the audience. Nobody was just serving others or selling things or buying things. The underlying message was: We are all in the same boat, and we need to inspire and support each other.

The market was a success, with hundreds of visitors and happy faces everywhere. Spending time on making each and every exhibitioner feel welcome and important, and especially supporting the novices, resulted in a warm and joyful atmosphere from the start. But it also required a lot of work to keep in contact with so many people.