[Greenbuilding] Energy and Green Building Tour at the 2007 Michigan Energy Fair

[Gary Tuma]

GREAT LAKES RENEWABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION
Contact:  Jennifer Malinowski, Program Manager
Ph: 517-646-6269 
Email: jennifer.malinowski at glrea.org
 
For immediate release
 
 
Take a Renewable Energy and Green Building Tour at the 2007 Michigan Energy Fair
 
Onekama, MI (June 22-24, 2007) * The Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association is pleased to announce that the 2nd Annual Michigan Energy Fair will offer a wide variety of special tours for attendees to enjoy.   >From renewable energy home tours to a special hybrid home tour and even a winery tour, you are sure to find an experience that will help enhance your Energy Fair adventures.  Online registration has already begun for the 2007 Michigan Energy and these tours are sure to fill quickly.  Make plans today to attend the Michigan Energy Fair and enjoy an opportunity to sustainable energy practices in action! 
 
The Hybrid Home tour showcases a cutting-edge new home under construction that uses insulated concrete forms, soy-based spray foam, solar reflective shingles, solar hot water system, wind generator, and a number of processes and products that will improve the home’s energy efficiency and lessen its’ impact on the environment.   Hybrid Homes, LLC’s owner Adam Bearup is using his passion for the environment and his knowledge of progressive building techniques to create the ultimate green-built home.  This house is part of the LEED-H program through the United States Green Building Council.  The Bay Area Transportation Authority has generously donated use of their Hybrid Bus for transportation to the tour site.  This is a FREE tour that will be offered throughout the weekend * a schedule is available online at www.glrea.org.  Don’t miss this exciting tour opportunity! 
 
The Fair will again offer Renewable Energy Home Tours featuring local homes that utilize renewable energy, energy efficiency or green building techniques.  We have several homes on this year’s tour, and each tour will visit three sites.  Home features include an Energy Star® built home, straw-bale construction, an off-grid organic farm, solar heating applications and more!  For a complete tour schedule and site selections, visit www.glrea.org.  Cost is $10.00 per person and you will visit three sites during your tour.  Tours leave at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 23rd and at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 24th.  Last year these tours sold out, so register early to secure your spot!   
 
Energy Audits highlight areas of your home where you could improve your energy efficiency.  Attend a special one-hour Energy Audit Tour with Jeremy Truog of Sustainable Environmental Services as he conducts an audit on a home near the fairgrounds.  The tour will highlight how energy efficiency can be accomplished in new homes and what areas to look for in your home that are likely to be inefficient.  The tour is $5 per person and there are two tour opportunities at 9:30 a.m. and at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 23rd. 
 
Day long tours will be provided to Traverse City on Friday, June 22nd and to beautiful Michigan Wine Country on Saturday, June 23rd.  Tourgoers will be transported via a special General Motors (GM) hybrid bus on the tours.  The Traverse City Tour will take tourgoers to view the 600kW Wind Turbine in Traverse City, on a tour of the Northwestern Michigan College’s Energy Demonstration Center and to visit the Bay Area Transportation Authority’s LEED-Built Bus Depot.  Tourgoers will also have some time in downtown Traverse City to shop and enjoy lunch on their own.   Tickets for the Traverse City tour are only $15.00 per person.  Pre-registration is encouraged, and the tour leaves at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.   The Winery Tour will visit three spectacular wineries on Michigan’s beautiful Leelanau Peninsula.  Scheduled stops include Black Star Farms of Suttons Bay, Leelanau Wine Cellars of Omena and Gill’s Pier Vineyard and Winery in Northport.  Winery tourgoers will also have time for lunch on their own and shopping in picturesque Northport.  Tickets for the Winery Tour are $25.00 per person and pre-registration is encouraged.  The tour leaves at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
 
For registration and more information on all Michigan Energy Fair special tours, please visit www.glrea.org  The 2nd Michigan Energy Fair will take place at the Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekama, MI on June 22-24, 2007.  Offering dynamic keynote speakers, seventy workshops and dozens of exhibitors, renewable energy home tours, energy efficiency tours, special hands-on workshops, music, delicious local foods, special kid’s activities on Saturday and much more, the 2nd Annual Michigan Energy Fair is not to be missed!   Make plans today to attend the Michigan Energy Fair and Invest in Your Energy Future!   
 
For more information about the 2nd Annual Michigan Energy Fair, contact the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association at www.glrea.org or call 800-434-9788.  Register today!   
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