Last month, Reuse Minnesota and several of our member organizations had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair. We were proud to coordinate the Reuse & Repair Community Booth in the Eco Experience Progress Center, a space dedicated to sustainability and environmental education.
Carolyn Wieland and Emily Barker, Reuse Minnesota staff
The Reuse & Repair Community Booth aims to demonstrate repair and reuse skills, raise awareness of the environmental, social, and financial benefits of resale, rental, and repair, and highlight organizations working in these sectors.
Over the 12 days of the fair, different member organizations engaged with attendees—sharing how their work supports reuse, repair, and waste reduction across the state.
This year, our primary focus was on promoting and recruiting volunteers for Fix-It Clinics in Greater Minnesota. We educated fairgoers on the value of repairing and mending everyday items, explained how Fix-It Clinics work, and shared opportunities to get involved.
We were excited to partner with the following member organizations, who each helped staff the booth and share their reuse stories:
- Arc’s Value Village
- City of Minneapolis Recycling
- City of Saint Paul
- Eco Chico Kid’s Resale Boutique
- Evergreen Collective
- Family Pathways Thrift Store
- Free Geek Twin Cities
- Good to Go Cups
- Grandma’s Marathon
- Hennepin County
- Kaleidoscope Learning
- Loose Parts Laboratory
- Mano a Mano
- Minnesota Toy Library
- MN Tool Library
- MnTAP
- Ramsey County Environmental Health
- Rethos
- Reuse Minnesota
- Shop for Change
- Sustainable Stillwater
- TC Habitat ReStore
The Eco Experience, hosted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, remains one of the state’s premier platforms for environmental outreach, offering hands-on activities, live demonstrations, and helpful resources for Minnesotans of all ages.
