Lawrence environmentalists are gearing up to celebrate sustainable living, with the second Little Green Festival, slated for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 2 at South Park.

Organizer Alison Roepe expects the event to be much bigger than the inaugural Little Green Festival, which took place at Burcham Park in October.

“I think the consciousness is ready for it,” she said. Sustainability has dominated the news in recent months, and Roepe said she thought the festival could fill a void.

“Especially now, with all the high oil prices, people are wondering, ‘Wow, maybe I should ride my bike or drive a smaller car,'” she said. “I think that’s indicative, too, that people are actually doing things in their lives.”

The festival includes more than 60 vendors, numerous speakers, an activity area for children and an area to learn about green pet care. Live music begins at 9 a.m. on Aug. 2, a Saturday, and lasts until 11 p.m. Roepe said so many musicians wanted to play at the event that she instituted the Little Green Blue Grass Jam, which takes place from noon to 7 p.m. on Aug. 3.

The majority of vendors – whose products range from backyard wind generators to hemp skateboards – are from Lawrence and surrounding towns. The festival aims to educate people on how to live a healthy and environmentally friendly life.

“There’s a lot of really good projects happening in Lawrence, and (people) need to get connected because they can benefit from each other and they can grow,” said Neil Steiner, 22, a Kansas University senior and president of a student group called Emerging Green Builders.

Steiner and another KU student will have a booth and discuss green construction projects. Last summer, Steiner and others helped construct a building out of straw bales. Emerging Green Builders is also building a rain garden at KU’s Ambler Recreation Center.

Roepe said there will be something for everyone.

“The thing that I think is great about this year is that you could really just walk around and find so many ideas that you could apply to your life or your business,” she said.

For a full list of exhibitors and musicians, visit www.littlegreenfestival.com.