“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” ~ Buddha 

For local environmental guru Steve Schappert, the above quote is a mantra of sorts for the many companies he heads up, The Good Word, The BIOS Organization and The Green Marketing Company, all dedicated to doing good and saving the planet. Schappert, a Brookfield native, began his mission of world peace and saving the planet over 2 decades ago and continues to work to “leave this world a better place.” He believes in speaking and thinking positive thoughts and words and doing good for each other and the environment. As if running the three aforementioned companies was not enough, Schappert recently embarked on a new journey of sorts that kicks off this weekend– GreenFest– a 3-day free concert on the Danbury Green at the bandshell.

“The goal of GreenFest and The BIOS World Peace Tour is to create a powerful change in the world capable of bonding all race, creed, color and religion. We will accomplish this by spreading the BIOS Philosophy of green, healthy, holistic, organic, sustainable and energy-efficient living and by teaching others to do well by doing good,” Schappert said.

GreenFest 2012 features 45  bands and 15 green vendors whose primary goal is to work to raise awareness on the benefits of green living. By using art, literature, music, dance and multimedia, Schappert hopes to raise money to complete funding of his Bios Water Car.

The BIOS Water Car is a 1972 Ford Mustang convertible that gets 58% better gas mileage using water for fuel. Throughout the 3-day benefit concert, Schappert will discuss his plans to drive 9,000 miles across North America, visiting 46 cities in 5 weeks. Schappert researched many available hydrogen systems and found what he considered to be the best in class, one unit that produces nearly 3 times as much hydrogen per minute as any other competitor.

The recent launch of The Good Word, a website dedicated to inspirational stories about good people doing good things, has helped get the word out about GreenFest and has been a great resource for local businesses to advertise affordably. The Good Word also has a print publication with a distribution of over 100,000, the largest of its kind, and strives to bring readers positive stories “that will put a smile on your face,” Schappert said.

The Good Word also promotes The Bios Philosophy, the study of green, healthy, holistic, organic, sustainable, energy-efficient living. Schappert said: “Teaching the world to do well by doing good and providing a common bond for all religions, race, creed and color. Together we can create a better life for all by understanding that we are all connected by mind, body spirit and earth.”