Over 500 individuals attended the one-day EarthFest Expo, which is a part of a weeklong EarthFest celebration hosted at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota. This celebration brings people together to learn about environmental products and services, get involved in local sustainability efforts, and take part in clean-up events.
The EarthFest Expo was hosted on April 24, 2016, at the Mayo Civic Center and offered a lot to those who attended the free event. This year’s expo featured 40 vendors of environmental products and services, informational displays, and the Rochester Public Library’s book bike.
Vendor booths at the 2016 EarthFest Expo in Rochester.
“Even though we have a lot of good volunteers, the majority of the work falls on about six of us. The CERTs grant took a lot of pressure off our funding concerns, so that really helped,” said Ivan Idso, the lead organizer of EarthFest Expo.
The EarthFest Expo featured twelve educational classes covering topics from Mayo Clinic’s green team to the benefits of installing a solar photovoltaic system. These classes included keynote speakers Mary Anne Hitt, with the Sierra Club, and Ardell Brede, the mayor of Rochester.
Attendees listen to one of many speakers at the Expo.
One area of focus for this year’s EarthFest was to get students and churches more involved. Four high school students attended all the planning meetings and had their own vendor booth on light pollution. There were also twenty other students that showed up for the climate march with posters and signs. These students also gathered thirty individuals to volunteer for the celebration. Attendees were also able to tour a NetZero building being constructed to learn about home energy efficiency measures.
NetZero home on tour at the Expo.
In addition to the EarthFest Expo attendees, 35,000 Rochester residents received brochures promoting sustainability efforts. There was also a great deal of media coverage and social media activity. “Our visibility was greater with more recognition than our inaugural event last year,” observed Idso. “I have no doubt that we are positively impacting our community.”
“The group at CERTs was wonderful to work with,” he added. “They were friendly and knowledgeable, and willing to help in any way they could. I look forward to continuing to work with them in the coming years.”
Project Snapshot
- Project: EarthFest Expo one-day community event
- Location: Rochester, MN
- Activity: Outreach
- Technology: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Benefits: Provide information about environmental products and services and educate on sustainability efforts.
- Total Project Cost: $14,023
- SE CERT Seed Grant: $4,023
- People Involved: 1,000+
- People Reached: 35,000+
CERTs awards seed grants to community groups for energy efficiency and clean energy projects across Minnesota. We’ve awarded over $1 million in Seed Grants since 2006. Click here to see more Seed Grant blog posts or click here to see more past funded projects. |
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