For the Gazette

CUSTER — In its 29 years of history, The Energy Fair still holds true to Home Power’s vision of a People’s Energy Fair and this call to action shared three decades ago is still relevant today.

The Energy Fair brings people together each June to share clean energy and sustainable living knowledge with one another in an unwavering effort to build a sustainable future run on clean energy. The 29th Annual Energy Fair will be held June 15-17 at Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) headquarters in Custer.

“During the last two years [1986-1987] we have received over 20,000 letters from renewable energy producers and would be producers. We have seen, first hand, the enormous amounts of interest, energy and information within this group. We need to get together face to face, as many of us as possible in the same place and at the same time.”

These opening words published by the late Richard Perez in the 1989 August/September issue of Home Power magazine sparked what is now the nation’s longest-running clean energy and sustainable living event known as The Energy Fair.

Education is at the heart of the Fair, with over 250 workshops covering 14 categories, presented by topic experts. New this year, we are highlighting new workshop tracks within the categories to intrigue and inspire you. The Energy Fair prides itself on putting together a lineup that speaks to industry trends and addresses emerging environmental issues, while still maintaining the fundamental concepts of sustainable living and clean energy education.

New workshop tracks this year include: 

• Water Resources
• Beneficial Animals and Insects
• Building Unity through Leadership
• Food and Self-Reliance
• Land Ethics
• Solar Knowledge for Homeowners
• Solar Knowledge for Business Owners
• Solar + Storage for Solar Professionals

It takes all walks of life and diverse perspectives to realize sustainable change. For an idea to take hold, both education and community involvement are vitally needed. At The Energy Fair, people gain access to the, education, resources, networks, and motivation needed to take action.

Workshop tracks aren’t the only thing that’s new at the Fair in 2018. Electric vehicles will be able to charge up under MREA’s Solar Carport. The project was launched at the Fair last year and will come to fruition this May with the help of MREA students.

“In February 2018, the oil giant BP projected that 180 million electric vehicles (EV) will be on the road by 2035. The transition from oil to electricity will be one of our nation’s biggest infrastructure investments. We’ve been working hard to make sure this new electrical demand is powered with solar PV,” said MREA’s Executive Director, Nick Hylla. “Since June 2017 we’ve been charging EVs and will be installing the solar canopy this Spring in preparation for the Midwest’s largest gathering of electric vehicles at The 29th Annual Energy Fair.”

Other notable additions to the lineup are, and not limited to:

• 200+ exhibitors
• Family friendly entertainment
• Tiny Home Alley and Solar Home Tour
• Documentary screening of Solar Roots—The Pioneers of PV with Filmmaker Jeff Spies
• Clean Transportation Show
• Musical entertainment from People Brothers Band, GGOOLLDD and more on the human-powered main stage

And Keynote speeches from: 

Investigative Journalist, Author, and Co-Founder of The Intercept, Jeremy Scahill. Scahill confronts America’s War on Terror—a campaign of assassinations, drone strikes, surveillance, and covert ops—with rare insight. In talks, he draws from his nearly two decades of investigative reporting to illuminate the biased media coverage and hidden agendas of US foreign policy. In so doing, he offers an ethical appeal for greater transparency and accountability in both election coverage and international journalism.

Sustainability, Research & Grant Manager, Organic Valley, Jonathan Reinbold. Reinbold has worked in sustainable agriculture and food systems for eight years, currently for Organic Valley, America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation’s leading organic brands. His work is focused at the nexus of energy, water and food systems. He leads Organic Valley’s efforts in natural resource conservation, renewable energy production, environmental research and employee engagement.

Journalist and Author Lily Raff McCaulou. McCaulou is a journalist based in Bend, Oregon whose writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Atlantic. Her memoir, Call of the Mild: Learning to Hunt My Own Dinner, was named one of the best books of 2012 by The San Francisco Chronicle. Sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Author, Humorist, Singer/Songwriter, Intermittent Pig Farmer, Michael Perry. Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, playwright, and radio show host from New Auburn, Wisconsin. Perry’s bestselling memoirs include Population 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop, Visiting Tom, and his latest, Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy.

Discounted tickets are on sale now at TheEnergyFair.org. Free admission for MREA Members, volunteers, and children 12 and under. A limited amount of Energy Fair campsites are available. Free coach busses available on Saturday, June 16th from Madison, Milwaukee, and Eau Claire/Menomonie/Osseo. Visit TheEnergyFair.org or call 715-592-6595 for more details.