Presentations to the People!

Sixteen free presentations and demos with local experts: Learn useful tips and tricks to make your life greener and healthier! Full Presentations and Demos Schedule, including descriptions, will be available the day of the Festival at the Welcome Tables in Ridgway Visitor Center and at all Presentation areas.

Thank you to our Presentations and Demos Sponsor Laclede Gas Company.

Green Homes & Green Energy Presentations

At Stage 1 (Cohen Amphitheater)

10:30 a.m. Solar Is Power to the People
Emma Gilmore, StraightUp Solar
Home energy efficiency speakers
11:30 a.m. Easy & Efficiency Ways to Green Your Home
Nick Frisella, Metro Lighting
12:30 p.m. A House in a House: A Green Rehab Case Study
Mike Gerard, Homeowner
1:30 p.m. Basics of Home Weatherization
Anthony Johnson, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
2:30 p.m. What to Expect from an Energy Audit
Marc Bluestone, SmartHouse
3:30 p.m. Designing Your Home and Eco-Interiors
Diane Rosen, Diane Rosen Interiors LLC

Green Living Presentations

At Stage 2 (Summer Plant House)

10 a.m. Turning Bush Honeysuckle Into Tables
Dale Dufer, Think About Tables
Instructor leading a presentation
11 a.m. Now You're Cooking With Gas: Healthy Grilling With Your Natural Gas Grill
Myrtie Reilly, Claverach Farms
noon Compost: Be a Soil Builder not a Soil Spoiler
Bob Henkel, St. Louis Earth Day
1 p.m. Moving Transit Forward
Matthew Fernandes, Metro
2 p.m. Naturescaping 101
Mitch Leachman, St. Louis Audubon Society
3 p.m. Keeping Chickens – You Can Do It!
Korey Hart, Farwig Farm (Union, Missouri)

 

In-Depth Presentations & DIY Demos

At Stage 3 (PlantLab, near Children's Garden)

10 a.m. Perilous Potions:Safer Choices and Proper Disposal of Household Cleaners
Margaret Lilly & Mike Viles, Saint Louis County Department of Public Health & Regional Saint Louis Household Hazardous Waste Program
Vermacomposting speaker engages with audience member at 2013 Festival
11 a.m. Eco-Friendly Furniture Finishes
Jenny Murphy, Perennial
noon The Green Dream Home Project
Marla Esser, The Green Home Coach
1–3 p.m. The World of Worms
Jim Biggs, EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden

 

Presentation Descriptions

Basics of Home Weatherization
Learn how energy flows through a house and how that affects your home. Compare the difference between air sealing and insulation and between saving energy and overall comfort.
—Anthony Johnson, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis

Compost: Be a Soil Builder not a Soil Spoiler
Keep food waste out of landfills, conserve resources and build our local economy by composting food waste. Learn about the region's municipal composting operations and how they differ from residential backyard composting. Learn how to make food more healthy through composting.
—Bob Henkel, St. Louis Earth Day

Designing Your Home and Eco-Interiors
A discussion of eco-friendly products and services that are available to create a beautiful interior and healthy indoor air quality for you and your family. Presentation will also cover the connections between green living and Universal Design. 
—Diane Rosen, Diane Rosen Interiors LLC

Easy & Efficient Ways to Green Your Home
From low cost projects to replacing your entire heating and cooling system, this presentation covers all the bases to show you how to make your home more energy efficient and reduce your carbon footprint.
—Nick Frisella, Metro Lighting

Eco-Friendly Furniture Finishes
Learn about paints, stains, and waxes you can cook up at home from natural ingredients. Try your hand with the paints and stains as you transform scrap wood into a spot for keys, necklaces, and more!
—Jenny Murphy, Perennial

The Green Dream Home Project
Kick start your plan for your very own green dream home—be it sprucing up an existing home or building a new one. Whatever your next stop, we'll help you identify your must-haves, nice-to-haves, and the rest to start the conversation with your builder or remodeler.
—Marla Esser, The Green Home Coach

A House in a House: A Green Rehab Case Study
Learn how to make your energy needs smaller and utilize green energy solutions. A condemned 1884 three story Victorian was turned into a super insulated home with no furnace or hot water heater that requires less energy than a small apartment.
—Mike Gerard, Homeowner

Keeping Chickens – You Can Do It!
Learn the basics behind keeping chickens, including tips and ideas for incorporating them into your healthy lifestyle. Hear ideas and guidance on breeds, coops, illnesses, feed, and nutrition. 
—Kory Hart, Farwig Farm (Union, Missouri)

Moving Transit Forward 
Leave your car in the garage and try a new way to travel. An overview of transit services provided by Metro, including new developments and technologies and fun facts.
—Matthew Fernandes, Metro

Naturescaping 101
A simple overview of how native plants can be used in nearly any space to create attractive, interesting and functional replicas of natural habitats that benefit animals, the community, and the landowner.
—Mitch Leachman, St. Louis Audubon Society

Now You're Cooking with Gas: Healthy Grilling with Your Natural Gas Grill
Join Chef Myrtie Reilly for a healthy grilling demonstration—with samples!
—Myrtie Reilly, Claverach Farms

Perilous Potions:Safer Choices and Proper Disposal of Household Cleaners
Hazardous household chemicals—hiding under your sink, skulking in your basement, or lurking out in the garage. Learn about the do’s and don’ts of what to put in your trash and pick up some tips on greener alternatives to those perilous potions. The first 20 participants will take home a bottle of homemade cleaner (one per family).
—Margaret Lilly & Mike Viles, Saint Louis County Department of Public Health & Regional Saint Louis Household Hazardous Waste Program

Solar Is Power to the People
Learn about solar energy for your home and hear lessons learned from more than 500 solar installations throughout the region, including how to budget for a home solar energy system.
—Emma Gilmore, StraightUp Solar

Turning Bush Honeysuckle Into Tables
Bush honeysuckle is everywhere! This plant is seriously invasive, but its sturdy wood grows in interesting shapes. Table-making transforms this problem into a resource. How else could we use it?
—Dale Dufer, Think About Tables

What to Expect from an Energy Audit 
Do you want to improve the energy efficiency or comfort of your home? An energy audit is a great starting point. The energy audit process consists of testing and investigation and results in a set of actionable solutions.
—Marc Bluestone, SmartHouse

The World of Worms
Drop in anytime between 1 and 3 p.m. to learn about vermicomposting at this fun and family-friendly demonstration.
—Jim Biggs, EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden