Community Orchards!    Solar Bicycles!    Natural Building!

Living Car-Free!   Solar Furnaces!     Rain Barrels!

Permaculture Tours!    Energy Retrofits!     Wildlife Habitat!

Join the Center for Sustainable Living and the Bloomington Permaculture Guild four a four-day celebration of simple and sustainble living including speakers, workshops, children’s activities, hands-on demonstrations, tours, and green vendor booths!

Thank you to our sustaining sponsors

Special thanks also to the Monroe County Public Library for co-sponsoring our opening lecture by author Eric Brende on Thursday night.

Read on to learn more about the fair or browse our website for more details.

Saturday is the main event with a full day of workshops on sustainable living topics  including:

• Renovating an old home for energy efficiency
• Conserving water with rain barrels, cisterns, and low-flow faucets
• Cooking with solar ovens
• How to live without a car
• Growing food in your backyard (or front yard)

There will also be activities for children all day long and a series of demonstrations including natural building, a visit from the Solar Bike Team of Bloomington High School South, and green vendors.   Keynote speaker Aaron Newton will talk Saturday night about rebuilding our local food system and his work creating a farm incubator in North Carolina.

On Sunday, tour sustainable sites around Bloomington with your choice of morning and afternoon tours.  Options include Urban and Community Food Production, Nationally Acclaimed Permaculture Design, Green Building Techniques for New and Old Buildings, and Strengthening Neighborhoods through Green Initiatives.

Need more?  Come to our pre-event lecture Thursday evening where Eric Brende will talk about his book “Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology” and his attempts to determine which technologies help us and which we are better off without.  On Friday, take a one-day introductory course in permaculture, a design system focused on working with Nature to produce abundance for people and the environment.  Friday night, join  us for a local foods dinner and a short concert by the Bloomington Peace Choir.

In town for the weekend?  Bloomington is a great town to explore – and don’t forget to visit the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market Saturday morning before the workshops begin.  The Bloomington Eco-Center will be open all day Saturday as a hospitality space for anyone interested in hanging out and exploring new topics with friends.