iRenew Energy Expo

iRenew

Last weekend’s iRenew Energy Expo was delightful. The weather was amazing and we had a really fun time talking to people…both young and old! The couple in the above photo found relief from the sun under our awning…they hung out for quite awhile, chatting with Bella and telling us stories.

The expo ran for two days, and featured all kinds of renewable energy…alternative fuels, solar, wind, tricked out bikes, hybrids, and more. When we arrived, we parked and walked over to the main tent where we enjoyed a delicious meal catered by New Pioneer Coop. During our meal we talked with Scott and Rebecca, the founders and owners of Northern Sun, and also Richard, who was on the original editorial staff of Mother Earth News “back in the day”. We continued to meet interesting people all weekend.

We really enjoyed meeting David and Eileen Wetzel, from Decatur, IL. They drive a little VW Rabbit that runs on veggie oil. You wouldn’t guess it by looking at them, but they’re quite the criminals :) They got into a little scuffle with the IRS in Illinois over taxation issues and veggie oil. You can read more about it here. Luckily, it’s being overturned and it’s all working out in their favor…but they have some great stories! We enjoyed hanging out with them throughout the weekend and hope to meet up on the road sometime! (*if you want to read more about veggie oil taxation issues in general, check out the FAQ section and read Charlie Anderson’s response).

There were many, many workshops all weekend. We were so busy talking with people about the RV and car that we didn’t have time to make it to any…but maybe next year! We were also interviewed for a couple newspapers, a radio station, and a TV spot. Of course, we can’t track down any of them…but I’m working on it :)

Here are a few other things worth checking out:

More photos of the Expo here.
**Photo note: You can see our temporary banner on the side of the RV in the above photo…we are back in Minnesota this week finishing the vinyl wrap and will post photos soon!

Ramping Up for The Tour

Lots of exciting things happening around here! We are very busy planning the first part of the tour…right now we are in Minnesota getting the RV “wrapped” with our logo and our sponsor logos. Photos coming soon! This coming weekend, we will take part in our first “event”…the iRenew Energy Expo in Solon, IA. We are really happy to be going there…it’s been going on for 16 years and there are so many wonderful people/businesses there…and amazing workshops! Come and see us if you are in the area.

We are holding a kick-off party/potluck in Des Moines on Sept. 16 to say goodbye to our family and friends. Our first stop after that will be at the New Pioneer Coop in Coralville, IA on Sept. 17 from 3-8 p.m. Everything else is still in the works…if you are in Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, Grand Rapids, or Ann Arbor…don’t worry! We haven’t forgotten you! We will be contacting you in the next week or so with more details.

More big news…we have had more sponsors join the Live Lightly Tour!

We will be sharing more information about them soon…as we launch our new website (which will hopefully be within the next week). Weeeeeee! Lots going on…we are so excited to tell you all about it!

Stay tuned…

Sustainability Fair: Livingston, MT

The Yurt
Last weekend we attended the Sustainability Fair in gorgeous Livingston, MT. We had initially wanted to display our RV, but the remodeling came down to the wire and we decided to be spectators instead. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed talking to all the interesting people there.

Some highlights:

  • We met a delightful couple who remodeled their Airstream travel trailer to be completely off the grid (even a composting toilet…yay!) …pulled by their biodiesel-fueled truck.
  • We chatted with Paul House of Bozeman Biofuels…who has been spreading the biofuel love in the Gallatin Valley for nearly 3 years now.
  • We laughed at the adorable alpacas.
  • We stood in the yurt. Yurt = Love.
  • We saw Kermit the Pod.
  • I drooled over a really cool Dutch bicycle.
  • I played a little game called “Count the Chacos“. It seems to be the national shoe of the Bozeman area. Don’t get me wrong…you won’t catch me without my trusty Chacos. Best shoes ever. It’s just a fun game.

You can see photos of all of these things and more by clicking here.