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SolWest 2008 July 25, 26 and 27 INDEX TO THE FAIR PROGRAM 1. Keynote Speaker 2. Feature Article 3. Exhibitor List 4. Workshops, including pre-SolWest Workshops 5. Food and Entertainment 6. E-vents, including Family Day and Children's Workshops 7. EORenew Booth, Silent Auction, Camping and Volunteering, etc. 8. Getting to SolWest, Lodging and Pre-registration 9. Thanks to our supporters 10. SolWest Schedule (pdf, prints on 8.5x14)   Keynote Address: Greg Pahl Saturday July 26, 12:30 in the Sale Barn   SolWest 2008 keynote speaker Greg Pahl will provide an overview of an exciting and rapidly growing new movement, Community Supported Energy. A time-tested and highly successful strategy in Europe, community or cooperative ownership of local renewable energy projects is finally gaining momentum in North America. This is an idea whose time has definitely come, especially in light of the increasing price volatility in the fossil fuel markets, concerns about energy supplies, ongoing controversy about commercial-scale wind farms in some locations, and growing alarm about global warming.   Pahl will cover examples of successful initiatives, the many advantages of community-based energy, as well as some of the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving greater community control of energy resources, and more. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.  Greg Pahl's website: www.gregpahl.com   Greg Pahl is a 1967 graduate of the University of Vermont and a former Military Intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. A full-time freelance journalist for many years, he has written feature articles for numerous publications, including Vermont Magazine, the Vermont Times, Mother Earth News, The Champlain Business Journal, and many others.   In addition, Greg is the author of The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions to a Global Crisis (2007, Chelsea Green), Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy (2005, Chelsea Green), Natural Home Heating: The Complete Guild to Renewable Energy Options (2003, Chelsea Green), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saving the Environment (2001, Macmillan/Alpha Books), and The Unofficial Guide to Beating Debt (2000, IDG Books).   Greg has been involved in environmental issues for more than 25 years. In the 1970s he lived "off the grid" in a home in Vermont with a wind turbine atop an 80-foot steel tower that provided for his electrical needs. He is a founding member of the Vermont Biofuels Association as well as the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACoRN). He has written about solar energy, wind power, water power, solid biomass, biodiesel, ethanol, geothermal energy, wood heat, heat pumps, electric cars, sustainable forestry management, "green" home building materials, as well as individual and community strategies for living in a post-fossil fuel economy.

Fair Hours: Friday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ADMISSION TO THE FAIR DAILY 3-day WEEKEND Adults $5.00 $10.00 Juniors $2.00 $4.00 Family $10.00 $20.00 EORenew members ($25 level and up), and volunteers get in free! On-site child care available FREE FAIR ENTRY FRIDAY 5-7PM AND SUNDAY Noon-3:30PM!

Opinion: A Nation of Communities   We are a nation of specialists. Each of us has a job that we do in order to “make a living.” After our day is done, most of us go home from our workplace (stopping on the way to buy food at the grocery store that someone else has grown), and fix dinner (maybe not even doing the cooking, because it’s already been prepared for us), and relax after our difficult day.   As specialists, we’re detached from the sources of life’s necessities: we no longer obtain local materials to construct our own shelter, make our clothing, or harvest our food from fields and gardens. The same is true of energy resources. Recent generations of Americans are mostly unaware of how their energy is produced. As a local resident said recently, “The bill comes, I pay it.”   Our American way of life is supported by a lot of energy, more per capita than any other nation. The energy input is needed to get to and from the workplace, to operate the buildings at both workplace and home, and to operate the infrastructure that produces and delivers consumables (including more energy!) from around the country and the world.   Contrast this with an older life way, which still exists over much of the world: people function as generalists, working much of the day at home, spending some time tending their food garden, perhaps doing paperwork or making some product that they sell, leaving the homeplace to do some business, and returning to gather and prepare their food for dinner. Their community is fairly close by, and the skill set needed to make a good life mostly exists among this group of people. Resources must still be brought in to the community, but outside commodities are used with respect for their value as something difficult to obtain. Energy and most foods are locally produced, and their local availability is only one of many limiting factors.   The future is shaped through conscious or unconscious choice. Many different futures can develop for us, but if we go forward without making thoughtful choices about what we want, we may only get the future we deserve. It’s up to you. The first step is to learn about the options available to you. The next step is to make responsible energy choices, with your neighbors, to build your community. That first step can be taken by planning to attend SolWest Energy Fair in John Day, July 25 -27. Members of the EORenew Board of Directors   Now Available for download:  SolWest Fair program (32 page pdf 5.5MB) SolWest 2008 poster (pdf 401KB) 3-up color flyer (pdf 690KB) Exhibitor Signup Info (pdf 2.1MB)

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