Dear friend of the MREA,
I’ll start with some tough news: we won’t be hosting The Energy Fair in 2025. The short explanation is that expenses are up, participation is down, and we can’t afford another financial loss in 2025.
If you want to learn more about The Fair and the engaging events and programs to come in 2025, we’ve included our plans at the end of the letter. First, I want to tell you the fuller story of the MREA over the past year. We do a tremendous amount and, for good or bad, focus more on the work than its promotion. With that in mind, I ask that you read this letter. It’s a story that we think you’ll want to hear.
I look back at the first Fair I volunteered at in 2000 and everything seems much simpler. Solar, wind, energy efficiency, and green building were “alternative.” The electric utilities were big sponsors since it was good marketing and not yet a threat to their profits. YouTube didn’t exist, much less the “Screen New Deal” that we live in today. Organic food was an oddity relegated, if at all, to tiny sections of the grocery store, and the sole beverage vendor at the Fair, Central Waters, was in a small club of new microbreweries that were daring to give beer color and taste again. The MREA’s vision was to mainstream the alternatives. We’ve moved a long way towards that vision. Now, however, it feels like every inch closer to the goal costs us more.
Today, we get zero financial support from electric utilities and instead are most often in direct opposition. Utilities are making huge investments in solar and wind, which we mostly support. Utilities are strongly in favor of any asset that they own and from which their investors financially benefit. What they are not in favor of is the solar, wind, and batteries that their ratepayers (we) own since it erodes their justification to build new things and increase financial returns. The systemic challenge with the utility business model puts them at odds with customer energy efficiency and colors every aspect of our work.
As detailed our annual report, we spent more than we made last year. We mostly planned for it, but we are in no position to repeat the result. Based on past event financial performance, this means not hosting The Fair in 2025. That doesn’t mean that we won’t have events. We will. We’ll be inviting you to smaller events focused on continuing to spread the spirit of the Fair. We’ll also be hosting Energy Pro Demo Days with plans for events in Madison, Wisconsin in partnership with Renew Wisconsin and in Chicago, Illinois in partnership with The Chicago Urban League. We’ll make sure you know about the events when we have final details.
I could go on, but you know where to find me if you want to talk more. Our mission and vision are as important today as they were when we started in 1990, and your continued support matters to us and has never been more important. Thank you.
Rise Up!
MREA Executive Director