Petting Zoo and Environmental Champions Awards Take Center Stage at HBCU Green Fund’s GreenFest 2025
ATLANTA – A kids Petting zoo and the Environmental Champions Awards were runaway favorites as about 200 Atlanta residents stopped by Truly Living Well Farm last week for GreenFest 2025, a free, family-friendly festival hosted by the HBCU Green Fund that blended music, culture, and sustainability with hands-on learning for all ages.
This year’s GreenFest also marked the HBCU Green Fund’s 10th anniversary and featured the Environmental Champions Awards, which honored five leaders for strengthening resilience across Atlanta, including Proctor Creek, English Avenue/Vine City, and the Atlanta University Center. The 2025 honorees are Arthur E. Frazier III; Rosario Hernandez; Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, Ph.D.; Yomi Noibi, Ph.D.; and Olu Olatidoye, Ph.D.
“The festival is about creating joyful memories while planting seeds for the future,” said Felicia Davis, founder of the HBCU Green Fund. “It’s important for young people to be exposed to farming, and healthy eating in a fun, engaging environment. When they see that sustainability can be exciting, they carry those lessons into their homes, schools, and communities for life.”
Families moved between live music, DJ sets, a silent disco, environmental demos, and local vendors and artists. Kids’ activities included a popular petting zoo, interactive storytelling aboard an electric school bus, and a puppet show. An eco-fashion show turned heads with upcycled looks and tips for dressing sustainably.
Beyond entertainment, the event emphasized practical takeaways: budget-friendly healthy food ideas, simple at-home sustainability habits, and deeper connections to local growers and neighborhood small businesses.
The festival also introduced more residents to the the local West Atlanta farm, Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture, which “is committed to bringing good food, good health, and well-being to Atlanta’s urban community.”
GreenFest 2025 was presented with support from partners including West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA); Mothers & Others for Clean Air (Tanya Coventry-Strader); Historic Westside Gardens; Bookstore Gallery; Sustainable Georgia (Adrienne Rice); Black Sustainability (Raina Turner-Greenlea); and Green Is LYF.
Based in Atlanta, with offices in Washington, DC, and Dakar, Senegal, the HBCU Green Fund is a nonprofit organization founded by climate justice veteran Felicia Davis. The organization partners with historically Black colleges and universities, grassroots organizations, and international allies to advance climate action and youth leadership, including through the Atlanta University Center Clean Energy Fellows Program. Learn more at HBCUGreenFund.org or @hbcugreenfund on social media.
