MAHARISHI UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT Eco-Fair 2002, M.U.M. SU 100, Fairfield, Iowa 52557 Ph. 641-472-1134 http://www.ecofair2002.org For Immediate Release: Contact: Ken Chawkin, 641-472-7000, ext. 5042 --- PRESS RELEASE --- Pioneering Environmentalists to Offer Workshops In Fairfield, Iowa *Michael Corbett, Time magazine "Hero of the Planet," to Speak* Michael Corbett, hailed by Time magazine as a "Hero of the Planet," and author Eliot Coleman, master organic farmer, will be among the internationally famous speakers at Eco-Fair 2002, a weekend of lectures and workshops being offered by Maharishi University of Management May 9th-12th. The keynote events will take place on Saturday, May 11th. The goal of Eco-Fair 2002 is to educate people about the latest, most efficient, practical, affordable, and ecological technologies. Ongoing events scattered throughout the campus will include workshops, a trade fair, an environmental film festival, an eco-art exhibit, a variety show, and a fashion show. There will be tours of the Abundance Eco-Village, a hike sponsored by the Sierra Club, and a tree planting. *Sustainable Communities and Year-Round Farming* Mr. Corbett is the architect of Village Homes, the first sustainable community in North America. Located in Davis, California, and established in the early '70s, Village Homes has combined sustainable community design with agriculture and is a successful prototype for eco-friendly, energy-efficient communities. He is a co-author of Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes and will speak about steps involved in establishing sustainable communities. Mr. Coleman, master organic farmer and author from Maine, grows vegetables year-round using inexpensive techniques without the use of fossil fuel. His approach removes the confines of the growing season and provides technologies for conserving energy and the environment. Eliminating the need for shipping produce further reduces fossil fuel use. "We are pleased that this year's Eco-Fair will feature individuals who have done so much to show that it's possible to live comfortably and well and yet still avoid damaging and depleting the environment," said Marielle Savard, one of the organizers. "We think this weekend will be interesting and useful to anyone who is concerned about living in harmony with the environment." *Living "Off the Grid"* Other speakers include George Swanson, one of the nation's leading experts on energy-efficient, non-toxic building materials. In recent years he has completed more than forty low-toxic, energy-efficient, "fully breathing" buildings. Lonnie Gamble, an electrical engineer and co-owner of Abundance Eco-Village, an ecologically oriented development in Fairfield, will discuss his own home, which is completely run by renewable energy (solar and wind). He has been living "off the grid" for the past 20 years. He will also lead a tour of similar sustainable homes in Fairfield. Also presenting will be Mrs. Hiroko Goto, an 80-year-old environmental and peace activist from Japan. She will talk about the EM Bokashi composting method, which accelerates the growth of microorganisms beneficial to the soil. *Open to the Public* Many of the presentations and events are free and open to the public. The Coleman and Corbett workshops will range from $10 to $30 per half-day workshop. Evening presentations will be $5 general admission. The fashion show will be $4. Co-sponsors of the event include The Leopold Group of the Iowa Sierra Club and the Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-Renew). I-Renew will have its Solar Traveler 1,000-watt portable solar power station on exhibit during the Eco-Fair. Eco-Fair 2002 is also being supported by donations from American Pride, Everybody's Whole Foods, Iowa Progressive Asset Management, Creative Edge, First National Bank, Fairfield Lumber, Insultech, Jefferson County Hospital, and Soil Technologies; by grants from Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and from Wal-Mart; and by in-kind contributions from the Sierra Club, Abundance Eco-Village, Natural Merchants Association, Iowa Renewable Energy Association, and Alok Singh. Maharishi University of Management is located on Highway 1 on the north side of Fairfield, Iowa. For a complete schedule of events, see http://www.ecofair2002.org. For more information, please call Joan Masover at Iowa Progressive Asset Management at 641-469-4000 or 800-509-9096. Or you can email Ecofair's director, Marielle Savard, at <[log in to unmask]>. ### -- Ericka Dana Sierra Club Iowa Chapter Executive Committee http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/ia/ Organic Consumers Association Regional Coordinator http://www.purefood.org Catnip Farm Organic (319) 685-4270 <[log in to unmask]> http://www.catnipfarm.com http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=87&hit=1 Geodesic dome season extension project: http://us.geocities.com/catnipfarmdome/index.html --------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]