Grow a greener life: National Sustainability Fair comes to Albany

There’ll be a whole lot of sustainable goodness packed into one place next month when the Mother Earth News Fair brings national experts on self-sufficiency to the Linn County Fair & Expo Center. It’s planned for June 6-7, 2015, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Interested in organic gardening and farming? They’ve got workshops on everything from suburban farmsteads to backyard bees and chickens.

Love cooking? You can learn to make your own cheese, butter and jams.

Are craft beer and spirits your thing? Take a class on home brewing, distilling, and fermenting.

Got kids? Attend hands-on classes with experts who can show them how to grow garden, churn butter, make bath salts, and more.

Even more workshops include talks on the tiny house movement, making your own biodiesel, poultry-processing, herbal remedies, foraging, and more.

Speakers from around the nation and around the valley include:

• organic farmer and author Joel Salatin, who will define the characteristics shared by successful farmers, and give attendees a road map to success.
• Portland forager John Kallas, who will teach how to identify, harvest and prepare wild plants found in your backyard.
• Stephanie Tourles, licensed holistic aesthetician, certified aromatherapist and author, who will discuss organic body care and how to use natural oils in everyday body and facial products.
• Portland-based cheesemaker Claudio Lucero, who will demonstrate how to make a simple farmers’ cheese with herbs and edible flowers in 30 minutes.
• Jean-Martin Fortier, market gardener and author, who shares details, tools and technology he’s used to create a profitable, small-scale market garden.
• Lyle Estill and Bob Armantrout, co-authors of Backyard Biodiesel, who will show how to make small-scale biodiesel form used fryer oil and how to put it into use in your home or on the farm.

In addition to workshops, you’ll find children’s activities; country skills, livestock and vendor demonstrations; hundreds of vendors; and local and organic food options. Check out the full list of workshops at the Oregon event.

The Oregon fair is the only Mother Earth News Fair in the Western U.S.; the highly popular series continues in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Kansas later this year.

Weekend wristband passes cost $25 in advance, or $30 at the gate. Children 17 and younger get in free. The event also offers a limited number of VIP tickets, which get you priority seating at workshops, catered meals, and other perks.

Need a place to stay while you’re in town for the Mother Earth News Fair? Click here to find a hotel near the fair.

For more info, check out www.MotherEarthNewsFair.com.