MREA Energy Fair

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Tom Brown

An aerial view of the MREA Energy Fair, held each June in Custer.

press release: Visit theenergyfair.org to register to exhibit, stay up to date with entertainment & events, and learn more about The Fair!

Admission: - Adults: $20 day, $45 3-day (Early bird $15 day, $35 weekend);Seniors: $10 day, $20 3-day (Early Bird $8 day, $15 weekend); Age 13-18: $10 day, $20 3-day (Early Bird $8 day, $15 weekend); Age 12 & Under: FREE; Members/Volunteers: FREE

Event Times: - Friday: 9am-11pm - Saturday: 9am-11pm - Sunday: 9am-3pm

After two pandemic-induced years off, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) is proud to announce The Energy Fair will be returning to the rolling hills of Custer June 24-26, 2022. Building on 31 years of tradition, this year’s Fair will once again bring over 11,500 fairgoers together from across the Midwest to celebrate clean energy and sustainable living through education and demonstration. 

Known as the nation’s longest-running event of its kind, the 2022 Fair will bring back many hallmark attractions attendees have come to know and love, including live music, inspiring keynotes, camping, local food and beer, kids’ activities, and hundreds of educational workshops. In addition, this year’s event will take on an increased focus towards social and environmental justice through its theme, “Powering the Just Energy Transition.”

Structured to spark dialogue and action around our shared need to build a more inclusive, beneficial, and sustainable energy system for all, The 31st Annual Energy Fair will bring together leaders, visionaries, practitioners, and community members of all ages to create a hub for the conversations, strategy, coordination, mindfulness, and optimism we’ll need to power the Just Energy Transition.

Throughout the weekend, fairgoers will have the opportunity to attend hundreds of environmentally focused workshops spanning the topics of energy efficiency, conservation, community involvement, solar energy, professional development, clean transportation, sustainable farm and gardens, and so much more. In addition to the workshop schedule, the weekend’s electric lineup will include:

Hundreds of industry and artisan exhibitors

Family-friendly entertainment and activities

Free E-Recycling in partnership with Good News Project, and

Live music from Armchair Boogie, Nur-D, GGOOLLDD, and others

The Fair will also feature keynote speeches from: 

Shimekia Nichols – executive director of Soulardarity, an environmental non-profit in Highland Park, Michigan

Sean Sherman – founder and CEO of The Sioux Chef, co-founder of NĀTIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems), and co-owner of Owamni by The Sioux Chef

Kyle Whyte – George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan and member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council

John Farrell – co-director for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and director of the Energy Democracy Initiative

Robert Blake – executive director of Native Sun Community Power Development and owner of Solar Bear solar installation company in Minneapolis, Minnesota

New to the Fair in 2022 is the inaugural Clean Energy Career Fair. Free for all fairgoers, the Career Fair will highlight training programs, workforce development opportunities, and technical colleges that can help aspiring professionals launch a career in the clean energy field. During the Career Fair, MREA will celebrate the launch of its Midwest Solar Job Resource Center (SolarEnergy.Jobs) and give attendees a chance to network with organizations who are training students and/or currently hiring in the Midwest.

Tickets are on sale now at TheEnergyFair.org; admission is free for MREA Members, volunteers, and children 12 and under. A limited amount of Energy Fair campsites are available. Free bus shuttles on Saturday June, 25th from Madison, Milwaukee, Portage, and Stevens Point. Visit TheEnergyFair.org or call 715-592-6595 for more details.

The Energy Fair is powered by the MREA. The MREA was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit shortly after the first Energy Fair in 1990. MREA’s mission is to promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through education and demonstration.

We would like to recognize the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin for generously supporting our work to Power the Just Energy Transition. Thanks to the foundation, we have been able to expand our shuttle services and are working to provide additional modes of clean transportation for attendees at the Fair. In addition to transportation, we are working with Recycling Connections to certify The 2022 Energy Fair as a Near Zero Waste Event!

We are so grateful to the Community Foundation and are thrilled that our work aligns with their mission to give Portage County residents a better, sustainable place to grow, work, play, and retire.