BANGKOK — Take a break from wandering the malls to pick up some houseplants and support forest folk at an eco-friendly fair.
Shop for purple orchids from Chiang Mai and unpasteurized honey from Krabi while browsing raw cloth from Nan at the People and Forests Fair to be held next month at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
“We want city people to be interested in forest restoration,” said Warangkana Rattanarat, director of NGO organizer The Center for People and Forests Thailand.
Visitors can contribute to a collaborative forest quilt of leaves in the shape of Thailand by bringing their own leaves or using those provided from locations nationwide.
The fair will include 20 shops selling organic wares from people who live off forested land. Warangkana said people to see the benefit of forests lest they be cut down and used for other purposes.
Artists from Phayao and Nan provinces will also give away drawings of their forests back home. The first 500 visitors will receive a free tree to plant at home courtesy of the Forestry Department.
The People and Forests Fair will run 11am to 7pm March 4 on the first floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC), reachable from BTS National Stadium.
