PONTIAC — Organizers of the four-day Arts, Beats & Eats Festival plan to promote Earth friendliness during this year’s Labor Day weekend schedule.

Throughout the Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 event, biodegradable plates, cups and garbage bags — which will be composted at festival end — have been mandated.

A volunteer Green Team will monitor and promote recycling containers.                  “Attendees will see how we separate recyclables, which normally end up in landfills, costing taxpayers money,” said Jim DiMarco, marketing director at GLR, Green Team sponsor. “It will be an educational experience for children and adults.”

Children’s arts and crafts will be constructed with recycled materials, and a partnership with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation aims to encourage bus transit to the festival. Bus riders can enter a drawing for a trip to Jamaica.

Festival bike-riders will also be rewarded, with $3 in free food tickets, a protected bike corral and a drawing for bike accessories. And 30 exhibits will deliver information about green happenings in Michigan.

This year’s Arts, Beats & Eats music schedule features some heavy-hitters — including Blues Traveler, Rusted Root and the Hard Lessons, Beatlemania Live, Loverboy, Chaka Khan and Puddle of Mudd.

More than 150 bands and entertainers will perform free for crowds on six stages in nearly every musical style — from country, Caribbean, Celtic, rockabilly, and rhythm and blues to gospel, swing, rock, funk, metal, jazz and reggae.

“This year, Chrysler Arts, Beats & Eats offers an eclectic lineup, certain to entertain fans of all music genres,” said event producer Jon Witz. “Year after year, this free event attracts a diverse group of well-known national and local musical acts … and has earned a reputation among artists and fans as a premier music festival.”

As usual, a full roster of restaurants will provide taste sensations, and artists from around the country will exhibit their finest wares. Family-friendly activities invite all ages to enjoy the summer’s-end celebration.

This year’s festival attendees are also invited to compete in the Metro Detroit Guitar Hero Championships, held each day at the Crofoot, located at 1 Saginaw St. 

Chrysler Arts, Beats & Eats is held Aug. 29-Sept. 1 in downtown Pontiac. For more information and a full schedule of events and performances, visit www.artsbeatseats.com, or call  (248) 334-4600.

You can reach Staff Writer Linda Shepard at lshepard@candgnews.com or at  (586) 498-1065.