Presentations to the People!

Fourteen presentations and demos with local experts: fast-paced, 20-minute hands-on tips and tricks to make your life greener and healthier!

Salsa Making Demonstrations

Salsa and chips

At the Band Stage, Linnean Plaza Food Court

10 a.m. Tomato Salsa Demo + Samples
Wayne Prichard, Chipotle Mexican Grill
1:30 p.m. Roasted Corn Salsa Demo + Samples
Wayne Prichard, Chipotle Mexican Grill
   

 

Green Living Presentations

At Stage 1 (east parking lot, north exhibitor tent)

10 a.m. Bring Conservation Home
Mitch Leachman, St. Louis Audubon Society
Beekeeper talks with festival-goers
11 a.m. Missouri Harvest
Liz Fathman & Maddie Earnest
noon Shift Your Commute
Emily Luten, Trailnet
1 p.m. Help the Bees in Your Garden
Edward Spevak, St. Louis Zoo
2 p.m. Rainscaping
Cindy Gilberg, Deer Creek Watershed Alliance
3 p.m. Basics of Keeping Chickens
Guy Niere

 

Energy & Green Building Presentations

At Stage 2 (east parking lot, south exhibitor tent)

10:30 a.m. Greentain your Home
Marla Esser, HomeNav
Representatives of Laclede Gas
11:30 a.m. Financial Incentives For Solar Photovoltaics (PV)
Ben Good, Microgrid Solar Energy
12:30 p.m. Insulation Basics & Options: Hemp? Slag? Concrete? How Do They Get to Be Insulation?
Gary Steps, Butterfly Energy Works
1:30 p.m. First Steps for Pursuing Solar for Your Home or Business
Erin Noble, StraightUp Solar
2:30 p.m. Indoor Air Quality & YOU
Kellye Markowski, Energy Smart Homes
3:30 p.m. Energy Efficiency for Natural Gas Customers
Sid Koltun, Laclede Gas Company

 

Presentation Descriptions

Basics of Keeping Chickens
Is keeping chickens right for you? Learn what it takes to raise and care for backyard chickens from someone who’s spent years raising chickens as well as teaching others how to care for backyard chickens. Make sure you’re ready, learn what chickens need to thrive and where to get supplies, feed and more.
—Guy Niere

Bring Conservation Home
The opportunity to experience nature with your family is right outside your door—along with increased habitat for birds and butterflies, reduced utility bills, and improved water quality in the region. All this is possible by embracing the principles of a Healthy Yard with the assistance of the St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home Program.
—Mitch Leachman, St. Louis Audubon Society

Energy Efficiency for Natural Gas Customers
Want to get your home or apartment ready to save energy this winter? Come to this presentation to learn about energy efficiency for natural gas customers—from furnaces to insulation to water heaters, you’ll hear about simple fixes that will make your home more affordable and comfortable.
—Sid Koltun, Laclede Gas Company

Financial Incentives For Solar Photovoltacis (PV)
When you match the incentives available in Missouri with the projected cost of energy, local incentives and federal rebates combined can cover 25–35 percent of a solar photovoltaic system’s cost. Learn how the incentives work and the net cost to a homeowner considering solar.
—Ben Good, Microgrid Solar Energy

First Steps for Pursuing Solar for your Home or Business
With the dramatic drop in the price of solar panels, solar is popping up everywhere in St. Louis. Learn whether you have a good site for solar, how much electricity a solar electric system would products and how to determine the financial and environmental benefits of a solar electric installation.
—Erin Noble, StraightUp Solar

Greentain your Home
Your home is a big part of your life and probably one of your biggest investments. Discover the hidden green in your home, how to find it. Better understand and take care of one of your biggest investments—your home!
—Marla Esser, HomeNav

Help the Bees in Your Garden
Bees, as a group, are the most important pollinators for wildflowers and trees as well as the flowers, fruits and vegetables in our gardens and on our farms. There are over 425 species of bees in Missouri and over 4,000 in North America, the introduced European honey bee is just one species. Learn about the importance of bees for ecosystems, wildlife and us and what you can do to help them and help yourself.
—Edward Spevak, Saint Louis Zoo

Indoor Air Quality & YOU
Why is indoor air quality important and how is it related to energy efficiency? Using audience participation, this presentation will explore common household products and conditions that cause air quality problems in our homes. Play a game to determine some of the worst offenders and learn what YOU can do for a healthier home!
—Kellye Markowski, Energy Smart Homes

Insulation Basics & Options: Hemp? Slag? Concrete? How do they get to be Insulation?
Insulation is one of the most important items to consider and work with when improving an old home or designing a new one. Very few people know anything about insulation but fiberglass batts. There are many, better products on the market. I will show a number of these, and describe their characteristics, value, and issues associated with them.
—Gary Steps, Butterfly Energy Works

Missouri Harvest
Learn where you can find products that have been raised sustainably in Missouri! During this presentation, you’ll meet the authors of Missouri Harvest: A Guide to Producers and Growers in the Show-Me State and hear about the interesting things they discovered about sustainable agriculture in Missouri.
—Liz Fathman & Maddie Earnest

Roasted Corn Salsa Demonstration
We'll teach you how to make a great tasting, roasted corn salsa—giving you a secret weapon that'll get you invited to a lot of parties.
—Wayne Prichard, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Shift Your Commute
Haven't biked since you were young? Worried about biking in the street? No problem! We'll give you some information on how to dust off the bike and get out there—covering rules of the road as well as other active transportation options in the community. Learn where you can log the miles you bike and learn how much carbon emissions you save and calories you burn.
—Emily Luten, Trailnet

Tomato Salsa Demonstration
We'll teach you how to make a great tasting, fresh tomato salsa—giving you a secret weapon that'll get you invited to a lot of parties.
—Wayne Prichard, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Rainscaping
Rain gardening and water conservation coupled with the use of native plants and choosing the right plant for the conditions of the landscape help homeowners live more in harmony with their natural ecosystem. This presentation will help spark their creativity in following this principle.
—Cindy Gilberg, Deer Creek Watershed Alliance