Raising Awareness for Green Consumerism in Moldova
Face paint, sunshine, the sound of playful children. Mostly, though, a wide array of delicious foods, produce and day-to-day products, strewn across a bustling market. For a whole day, the Rose Valley Park in the Botanica sector of Chișinău was transformed into the IarmarEco Fair, a gathering place for those eager to promote or learn about sustainability and eco-friendly lifestyles.
For 12 consecutive years, EcoVisio, our local partner in the EU-funded Collaborate for Impact project, has been organising the fair in collaboration with their community of responsible producers. At its core, the event revolves around promoting conscious consumption, easily implementable ecological practices at home, sustainable product alternatives and tasty and healthy vegetarian food.
The time for these events really is now. In fact, this year's edition had to be postponed after some severe floods in the region. Heavy rains are not a new phenomenon in Moldova - the local streets are prone to flooding, and have done so more and more often in recent years. The increasing frequency of these intense weather events is part of the motivation of EcoVisio in reinforcing the narrative of the just transition in Moldova. This is a challenge not only for corporations, but also for the consumer at large. One of the main tools at EcoVisio's disposal is to help visualize not only the effect of climate change, but the different ways in which the local community can help mitigate it and adapt their consumer patterns.
This is where the IarmarEco Fair comes in. It's an extension of the online platform Iarmar Eco, which aims to put the spotlight on sustainable local producers in Moldova. This year's edition brought together around 140 exhibitors, who were representing different initiatives with social and environmental impact. A large majority of them were producers of goods, and presented their products to possible customers. It's fair to say that they showed up - hundreds of visitors roamed the park to discover everything that was on display. Good habits, they say, are created one step at a time.
It's not just about changing the consumer chain, though. The IarmarEco Fair puts learning central to the event, so that visitors not only have insights in what to buy, but also why they buy it and how they can make conscious decisions about their spending habits. Different workshops were available throughout the day: waste reduction, breastfeeding, creating healthy sweets, flour milling, as well as various children's workshops. On top of that there was also an exhibition of drawings, co-created by children and teenagers from all regions of the country The challenge was to consider what a greener future might look like - "We Paint a Green Moldova". In total, 65 works were on display. Four of these were awarded a prize, thanks to the support of EcoVisio partners Lezart and social business EduJoc.
"IarmarEco is the one event we revisit every single edition", say the exhibitors of Green Pack Moldova. They run a social enterprise that aims to replace singe-use plastic packaging with eco-friendly alternatives. "Here we meet people dedicated to change for the environment - those who create, innovate and promote nature-friendly living. It's a community with those people whose values we share. We are happy to make our small contribution to that story."
