Monona Grove School District Energy and Sustainability Fair

On Saturday, May 22, the Monona Grove School District will heat up the high school with its first ever Energy and Sustainability Fair from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. With fun exhibits and eye-opening presentations from a mix of students and experts, this free fair gives parents, families, students, and community members of all ages much to discover.

Learn about new technologies that are helping move the world to renewable energy. Get the details on how the school district’s energy improvements are saving taxpayers from losing money to energy expenses. Find out what Permaculture is and how it can restore natural systems and improve your property. Find out what projections about peak oil will mean for our future. These and many more subjects will help you begin or ramp up your move toward a sustainable future.

Want to get into the energy? You can try “pedal power” to run a variety of lights and appliances, sample apple crisp made in a solar oven, challenge electricity to a cream-whipping duel, walk through the MG&E solar trailer to see photovoltaics in action, and more.

Why focus on energy? Says Garret Suen, a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Currie Lab Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at UW-Madison who will speak on biofuels and leaf-cutter ant research, “As scientists researching in this area, we often think about the energy balance in the systems that we study, and how Nature has come up with innovative ways to maintain that delicate balance. I think society is no different in the sense that we are part of that balance, and our growing needs for energy require us to think about how we use energy.”

And what about sustainability? From attending the fair, people can take away “a better understanding of all the parts that go into play into leading a truly sustainable life and the knowledge that they have the power to bring about real change,” says Zach Ferdinand, who will present on Permaculture.

The most rewarding aspect of moving toward sustainability “is achieving results,” adds student Justin Bloesch. “It is invigorating to know that I can make a difference and do make a difference.” He will speak on peak oil.

As part of the fair, poetry will be presented by students from the high school English classes, and a musical will be performed by the Winnequah third and fourth graders at 1:00. “Assignment: Earth, What Kids Can Do to Save the Planet” features pop, rock, rap, and Broadway styles.

Organizers of the Energy and Sustainability Fair are the Monona Grove Energy and Sustainability Education Subcommittee, Energy and Sustainability (Core) Committee, High School Global Impact class, and the High School Environmental Club, with assistance from a number of community members, Alliant Energy, and MG&E.

After the fair, local bands Checkerboard Regalia, Space Hardware, and Recluse Under Fire perform from 3 to 6 p.m. (Admission is $3 for this extra program, with proceeds benefiting the Monona Grove Environmental Club.)

More details can be found at www.mononagrove.org/faculty/mgsd_energy/energyfair.cfm