Citizen Staff Writer
ALAN FISCHER
afischer@tucsoncitizen.com
The Pima Association of Governments’ Sustainability and Energy Expo will be bigger and better this year, organizers said.
The expo, which runs Friday and Saturday at the Tucson Convention Center Exhibit Hall A, will feature more than 15 alternative-fuel vehicles, 90 exhibitors, speakers, new activities and great prizes, said Colleen Crowninshield, manager of PAG’s Clean Cities Program.
Exhibitors will display a wide array of products and services related to green and sustainable living, with a heavy solar flavor, she said. “It’s going to be much bigger, much more exciting and much more diverse, she said. “People will have the opportunity to talk to experts, not just from here, but national experts on all these topics.”
Speakers covering topics including global energy, green building, electric car, sustainable lifestyles, alternative fuels for vehicles, and desert rainwater harvesting, will be presenting from 8:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Saturday in the TCC Mohave room, said Sheila Storm, PAG’s communications director.
Chris Paine, writer and director of the film “Who Killed the Electric Car,” will be the keynote speaker at 12:30 p.m., Storm said.
Prizes, which include a $2,500 scooter, a bicycle, a portable solar-powered charger and gift certificates, will be raffled off each half hour at the expo, Storm said.
Raffle tickets cost $1 each or six for $5, she said. Attendees who bring two cans of food to the Community Food Bank booth will receive a free raffle ticket.
The first 200 people through the door Friday and the first 500 in on Saturday will receive a free tote bag, Storm said.
The expo will include a bicycle rodeo for kids from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, put on by the Tucson Police Department, Crowninshield said.
“There were a lot of requests last year to have more activities for children,” she said. “We will introduce them to the safety aspects of riding a bike, helmet safety, reading street signs, following laws, arm signals, and keeping balance.”
Bikes for kids to use at the rodeo will be provided, she said.
Last year’s expo attracted more than 4,000, she said, and more than 5,000 are expected this year.
IF YOU GO
What: Sustainability and Energy Expo
Where: Tucson Convention Center Exhibit Hall A, 260 S. Church Ave.
When: 3-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $5 for adults; free for children, students and military with ID and people who ride bicycles to the event.