MRES President Praises 2021 Eco Experience Volunteers and Partners

September 14, 2021

I am so proud of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society for putting on a full show for the estimated 100,000 visitors to the Eco Experience at the State Fair this year. Over 70 volunteers helped to set up, interpret exhibits and strike the show. With Covid-19 a concern, we masked up, took other precautions and carried on. At no time were we without volunteers staffing our 1500 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits. At no time did State Fair building operations need to erect the dreaded sign in front of our exhibits: “Due to Covid-19 we needed to cut back on the number of staff at the Eco-Experience this year.” We should all be very proud of ourselves.

The Eco Experience is an annual event where MRES showcases all of its programs in one place. Volunteers can guide visitors from one exhibit to the next, as most topics are interconnected. Over 12 days, August 26-Labor Day 2021 MRES volunteers answered questions currently on peoples’ minds with the help of the relevant displays, from getting started in solar to how EV batteries and solar panels can be repurposed and recycled at the end of their lives. People who were concerned about these emerging topics left reassured and inspired. 

Times have changed. We found most Eco Experience visitors were accepting of renewable energy and interested in energy saving technologies. They’re also interested in jobs in the field. They wanted to know where to start. MRES assessed their individual situations, offered relevant examples and walked them through options. 

We found that many MRES volunteers and visitors had solar panels on their houses already, which meant they could share their stories, useful tips and reassure the next generation of adopters. Of course, for inspiration, we suggested they check out the upcoming MRES Sustainability Tour, Oct 2-3, 2021.

Indoors, the most visually appealing attractions were Midwest Solar’s creative Solatube demonstration, the winning solar boats from Avalon School and Apple Valley High School and Tim’s Tiny Tiny House at the center of it all. Outside, volunteers engaged visitors in five exhibits: our Solar Pollinator Garden, Footprint Project’s mobile solar unit (deployed to climate disaster sites), EV battery and PV recycling information, our Solar Installation Demo and the Wind-Solar Hybrid story at the base of towering wind turbine blade. We thank those partners who took the effort to provide these exhibits. 

You can find links to our Partners’ websites here.

Please consider supporting MRES in our work to advocate for a sustainable society and renewable energy economy for all. You can make your donation here.

Best regards, 

Mark Weber, MRES President