The Second Annual Summit Eco Fair will be taking place on Sunday, May 16, at the House of Hope Church in St. Paul. The event is hosted by a half dozen faith communities that are united by a concern for environmental stewardship.
It’s been hard, these past many months, trying to be an environmental steward during this administration’s retreat from the many advances we have made in energy and transportation. Subsidies that fueled an explosion in EV sales in 2023-2024 disappeared in 2025. So did fuel efficiency standards. So did offshore wind projects. Just last week the Interior department announced that it had reimbursed energy companies the lease they paid to develop offshore wind farms, thus killing the projects. And to add fuel to the fire, the war in Iran is driving up gas prices over $4 a gallon, straining people’s transportation budget, already stressed by rising costs. With sustainability in full retreat, who is left to take the banner and resume any forward momentum?
You and me, that’s who.
This month, a consortium of churches in St. Paul is staging its second Eco Fair on Summit at the House of Hope Presbyterian Church on Saturday, May 16, from noon to 3pm. This will be an opportunity for attendees to explore electric vehicles and e-bikes. They can investigate home installation of solar arrays. There will be demonstrations of low-impact lawn care techniques, including robotic mowers, and the four-legged variety. That’s right, there will be goats–baby goats.
Cue the “Awwww!
In addition, there will be vendors exhibiting pollinator gardening techniques, an electric fire truck, an electric school bus, “green” burial options. There will be a focus on waste streams: food waste versus composting, information about fixing and mending well-used garments and appliances (as opposed to disposing and replacing); and for all of those needs for disposal of hazardous waste and non-salvageable appliances, Ramsey County’s recycling center will be represented.
Food
It’s festival season, which means food trucks. The Eco Fair will host vendors who are bringing us egg rolls and donuts, vegetarian hot dishes and sandwiches, acai bowls, coffee, and NA beer. Preference was given to vendors who do not rely on gas generators or who specialize in vegetarian, and independent vendors, such as Roots to Rise Kitchen.
Music
And because it’s a festival, there has to be music. The Tyler Lustek jazz quartet will be performing. And because House of Hope is known for its carillon bells, there will be ongoing performance from high up in the bell tower.
Advocacy
The most meaningful experiences for many attendees in 2025 were across folding tables with people who dedicate their professional lives to the things that matter most to the readers of Streets.mn. BikeMN, Sustain St. Paul, Metro Transit, Our Streets MN, Citizens Climate Lobby, and Friends of the Boundary Waters, among many others, informed and inspired people and continue to bring important work to our attention, over heaping helpings of momo’s, donuts, and beer. And above all, a gathering such as this reaffirms what most of us believe in our hearts: this work doesn’t die, just because the folks currently in charge say it has.
The Summit Eco Fair will take place on the corner of Portland and Avon, just north of House of Hope Presbyterian Church on May 16, from 12-3pm.