One cool event: Middleboro fair promotes energy efficiency and more

MIDDLEBORO — Have you wondered where in town you can find ways to save energy at home, check out electric vehicles, view student projects, and walk through a 40-foot inflatable humpback whale, all in one stop?

Then you should head to the Cooler Middleboro Fair, a free educational event for all ages to learn about energy efficiency and the local environment. 

The fair will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Middleboro High School gym, 71 E. Grove St.

Three local organizations are cosponsoring the fair: Sustainable Middleborough;, the high school’s environmental Youth Environmental Social Society Club; and the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance, with help from grants from the Cooler Communities organization and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Local contractors, nonprofit organizations, and Middleboro Gas & Electric will be on hand to answer questions, sign people up for energy audits and home estimates, and demonstrate what can be done to save money on energy.

The fair will provide one stop to learn about home energy audits, rebates, tax credits, insulation, heat pumps, solar, and electric vehicles. 

High school students will be at tables presenting projects related to energy topics including insulation, solar energy, and carbon use.

One initiative led by the students is to help individuals evaluate their carbon footprint and where they can reduce energy use in their daily lives, according to Youth Environmental Social Society Club President Anzo Rich.

Club member Antonio Botta will display alternative methods of insulation within small homes that students built in the school’s Middleboro Innovation Lab.

Rich, Botta, and fellow club member Gavin Fritz said they are most excited to meet community members and businesses interested in the environment and sustainability at the event.

Electric vehicles will be parked outside, giving attendees a chance to learn about cars that use alternative fueling methods.

For children and families, there will be crafts and a competition showcasing student energy projects and what they’re learning.

New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance Founder and President Carol “Krill” Carson will host a number of activities, including creating shark tooth necklaces and teaching attendees about the local ecosystem.

Carson said she looks forward to the “nice mix of student projects, wildlife, and conservation” at the event.

Exhibitors will include Middleboro Gas and Electric, Energy New England, EnergySage, Mid Cape Home Improvement, Middleboro Public Library’s Sharebrary, Soule Homestead, as well as local insulation and heat pump contractors.

Local Motion and Main Ingredient food trucks will set up outside the gym to provide lunch options to sustain visitors after a day of learning about sustainability.

“Where else can you learn about the environment and get lunch from food trucks?” Rich said.