State Fair's schedule
The State Fair's online schedule includes Eco Experience's daily presentations and demonstrations.
Sustainability stage
Presenting a wide variety of environment and sustainability-related topics, interactive discussions, music, demonstrations and more. Something for every shade of green!
Renewing the Countryside cooking stage with daily demos at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. where local chefs and foodmakers will bedazzle with cooking using local, organic foods.
Reduce reuse recycle
In the Repair to Reuse area, get a hands-on reuse experience that will appeal to the seasoned repair person and the new DIYer. Daily demos by fixit experts.
August 31
| 10:00 a.m. | Green or not? With the “green” movement now mainstream, former ECO store owner and environmentalist Ramy covers many simple things you can do to green up your daily life. (Ramy Selim, Sunny Day Earth Solutions) |
| 11:00 a.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Saba Andualem, Urban Roots) |
| Noon | How to design and build a tiny house A Minnesota-licensed contractor will go through the reality of building and living in a "tiny house," including realistic costs. (Ramy Selim, Sunny Day Earth Solutions) |
| 1.00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Saba Andualem, Urban Roots) |
| 2:00 p.m. | Plant trees like you mean it — sustainably Many planted trees will not mature because of root defects or poor planting. Come learn the correct planting guidelines for installing food quality trees so that they have the best chance possible to live a long, healthy, useful life. (Jim Nayes, Living Sculpture Trees) |
| 3:00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Saba Andualem, Urban Roots) |
| 4:00 p.m. | Low-maintenance edible landscapes Fruit trees, shrubs, and vines are a great way to diversify your landscape and an introduction to local food production. We will share low-maintenance species that are great starter options, requiring little pruning and being less susceptible to disease. (MN Tree Care Advocate Program) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Have fun and stay safe on your bicycle Come ask Mr. Michael your bicycle questions and hear his expert advice on how to care for your bicycle, and how to stay safe while riding. You’ll also have the chance to take an interactive quiz and win prizes! (Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles) |
September 1
| 10:00 a.m. | The magic of homemade fermented beverages Learn to turn ordinary foods, almost by magic, into healthful fermented drinks while having fun and saving money and energy! Find out how to safely make natural, tasty drinks that are good for your gut using fruit, veggies, and even their peelings. Recipe (Lisa McMahon, MPCA) |
| 11:00 a.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Tony Dimaggio, Sacred Blossom Farm and Herbal Tea) |
| Noon | Creating an allergy & toxin free home Allergens and toxins lurk in your house creating poor indoor air quality and healthy. Hear the insights on finding culprits in your home that hide in plain sight creating allergies, asthma and other health issues. Easy solutions abound! (Shaylee Olseon, Eco Shaylee) |
| 1.00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Tony Dimaggio, Sacred Blossom Farm and Herbal Tea) |
| 2:00 p.m. | The thin green line: Protecting wildlife around the world Protecting wildlands and wildlife around the world is a dangerous job: On average, a ranger is killed in the line of duty three days! Explore current events from our backyards to Yellowstone National Park to Kruger Park, South Africa. (Loras Holmberg) |
| 3:00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Tony Dimaggio, Sacred Blossom Farm and Herbal Tea) |
| 4:00 p.m. | The era of clean cars is here Did you know Minnesota is a leader in alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies? Come learn about the new era of vehicles that will reduce the polluted air around us. (Lisa Thurstin, MPCA) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Trees & shrubs for 2050 Learn about the options of trees and shrubs to plant today in order to have healthy, adaptive trees that will benefit the future as our climate changes. (MN Tree Care Advocate Program) |
| 6:00 p.m. | What's wrong with my shade tree? Are you seeing black spots, leaf feeding, or bright yellow leaves on your shade tree? We’ll talk common Minnesota shade trees, the issues that plague them, and the management of these issues to help your tree thrive. (MN Tree Care Advocate Program) |
September 2
| 10:00 a.m. | Electric vehicles in Minnesota Electric vehicles provide a new opportunity for cleaner and more efficient transportation, but how do they work here in Minnesota? We will talk about the technologies behind this shift, models available in Minnesota and our panel of plug-in vehicle owners (Jukka Kukkonen, Minnesota Plug-in Vehicle Owners) |
| 11:00 a.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Ruhel Islam, Gandhi Mahal) |
| Noon | SEWERMAN! Sewerman takes you on a journey into the icky world of sanitary and storm sewers. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll plug your nose, you’ll hurl! (Dave Legvold, Legvold Farm) |
| 1.00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Ruhel Islam, Gandhi Mahal) |
| 2:00 p.m. | The view from the tractor seat The challenges and details of conservation farming. Is Minnesota falling far behind in making strides in conservation? Come hear about the buffer issue and some great research done by college students at St. Olaf and Carleton. (Dave Legvold, Legvold Farm) |
| 3:00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Ruhel Islam, Gandhi Mahal) |
| 4:00 p.m. | What's wrong with my evergreen? Are you seeing signs or symptoms of disease or stress on your evergreen trees? Hear an overview of common evergreens in Minnesota and the issues they may experience. We’ll talk identification, treatment and care for these issues. (MN Tree Care Advocate Program) |
| 5:00 p.m. | How to recognize good arboriculture If you’re looking for a professional arborist, come learn about what to look for, questions to ask before hiring a professional, and how to identify improper practices that could harm your tree or property. (MN Tree Care Advocate Program) |
Labor Day: Your last chance to take in all the 2018 Eco Experience has to offer!
September 3
| 10:00 a.m. | How to make and use safe and effective personal care products Learn how to make and use simple, effective, and non-toxic personal care products using ingredients found at your local co-op. (Summer Streets, MPCA) |
| 11:00 a.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Tammy Wong, Rainbow Restaurant) |
| Noon | Brake Bread: A bike-based, community-supported bakery Good things take time. St. Paul bike-based bakery Brake Bread believes this to be true. Join them and learn about sustainable business practices, becoming a community supported-bakery, sourcing ingredients, and delivering bread by bike year round. (Nate Houge, Brake Bread) |
| 1.00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Tammy Wong, Rainbow Restaurant) |
| 2:00 p.m. | Brake Bread: A bike-based, community-supported bakery Good things take time. St. Paul bike-based bakery Brake Bread believes this to be true. Join them and learn about sustainable business practices, becoming a community supported-bakery, sourcing ingredients, and delivering bread by bike year round. (Nate Houge, Brake Bread) |
| 3:00 p.m. | Renewing the Countryside cooking demonstration: (Tammy Wong, Rainbow Restaurant) |
| 4:00 p.m. | Make your own nontoxic paints and finishes Ramy goes through the history of paint, how to choose store-bought nontoxic paints, and how to make your own paints and finishes! (Ramy Selim, Sunny Day Earth Solutions) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Basics of climate change in 5 minutes Climate change can seem like a daunting problem, but the science and solutions are quite simple! In just five minutes, you'll hear the basics and the science of the biggest factor in the solution: transitioning to clean, renewable energy ASAP. (Chuck Prentice, MN350) |