Ninety exhibits, 40 alternative-fuel vehicles, over 30 free workshops and a selection of organic foods herald the largest GLEE Expo ever on Saturday May 10 at the Marathon High School. Staged by Keys’ environmental group Green Living & Energy Education (GLEE), the three-day event, scheduled for May 9-11, will feature a wide range of opportunities to learn about ways to reduce energy consumption. The Expo also features free electronic recycling services, kids activities and exhibits from solar panels to alternate transportation.
This is the third year that GLEE has put on what has become an extremely popular event. Attendees will be able to register to win an electric scooter, ogle the very latest in solar powered cars, and bid on a wide range of energy efficient products. Kids can race solar powered cars and create artwork from recycled material.
On Friday, May 9, GLEE kicks off the educational aspect of Expo with CEU courses on green building standards through the Florida Keys Community College Marathon campus. Topics include courses on both large and small scale solar projects, green lodging, and LEED building construction. Information on these courses is on the Workshops page.
Saturday is the day to visit the various Expo exhibits from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Marathon High School, 350 Sombrero Beach Rd. More than 90 developers and distributors of green technologies and services will showcase their products, including solar-water heaters, alternative building materials and energy- and water-saving devices. 
At the same time, GLEE will stage free workshops to be provided by renowned speakers on sustainability from around the country. Workshop topics include: “Reduce Your Water Consumption,” “Green Financing,” “Creating a Healthy Home and Office,” “Introduction to Solar PV for the Home,” “Live and Eat Well,” “Septic Conversions to Cisterns” and many others.
Saturday’s Expo will also showcase more than 40 alternative fuel vehicles including solar cars, electric boats, electric bikes and one of only three hybrid school buses in Florida. Highlights include an electric Porsche 959, a Smart Car, and a very fast electric motor scooter. Attendees may even get the chance to drive an electric car.
Visitors who plan to spend the day at the Expo can purchase healthy food from several vendors including the high school culinary program’s Dolphin Bistro. They can also take home organic produce grown locally in South Florida.
There will be free bus service from Key West to the high school on Saturday with buses leaving Old Town Key West as early as 7:15 a.m. Those interested in riding the bus – and saving gas – should see Free buses from Key West to Expo for a complete schedule.
On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, GLEE invites residents to join the 10 a.m. “Love Your Mother Earth Networking Brunch” at the Key Colony Inn Restaurant, at MM 54, in Key Colony Beach. There will be a special section set aside for this group. This brunch buffet is only $12.95 and includes everything from eggs benedict to French toast, fresh salads and local seafood, as well as $2 bloody Marys and mimosas. RSVP to info@keysglee.com to reserve a spot.
From 1 – 5 p.m. Sunday, the Green Homes Tour offers Expo visitors, who sign-up on Saturday, a chance to visit energy efficient homes, buildings and gardens with sustainable attributes throughout the Keys. These include houses powered by renewable energy such as solar, structures built from alternative building materials, and renovated houses that are now energy- and water-efficient.
Also on Sunday, a number of local Eco-tour operators are offering discounted trips in conjunction with the GLEE event. Many of the tour operators are also donating a portion of their proceeds to GLEE. See the Eco Tours page for information on how to make reservation and don’t forget to mention GLEE for a discount.
In addition, Monica Wolls of the Office of Greenways & Trails, is leading a 12-mile bike ride on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. Participants should meet at Cocoplum Beach parking area at 9:30 a.m. The group will ride from Cocoplum Beach to the Grassy Key segment of the Heritage Trail and back.
GLEE will show environmental films prior to the group’s annual Expo. The series, to be exhibited on three nights, will include films about new forms of earth-friendly construction, the threat of coal to the environment, and the problems the planet encounters from the ever increasing mountains of trash that are accumulating.
GLEE will screen the films on three nights in Marathon at Crane Point beginning on Friday, May 2. The environmental films will show at 7:30 p.m. on each night.
The series will kick off on Friday night with “Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars.” The film, commissioned by Robert Redford’s Sundance Preserve, spotlights the coalition of cities, environmentalists, and ranchers who fought a move by the governor to enable the construction of 11 coal-fired generating plants. The 36 minute documentary is narrated by Redford.
The second film to be shown that night is “The Queen of Trees.” The hour-long film follows the ecology of a fig tree growing at the edge of a river in Africa for years, using cameras to show the microcosm of the fig environment, and how interconnected every tiny aspect of life truly is. The film has some of the most spectacular nature footage ever seen.
On Saturday, GLEE will exhibit “Garbage Warrior,” a profile of Michael Reynolds. Reynolds is a creative architect, with an out-of-the-box style, who makes buildings literally out of garbage, from discarded beer cans to car tires and more. His constructions don’t sit well with the authorities and the film chronicles his battles with the New Mexico state legislature to be able to build his unusual houses.
“Garbage Warrior” will challenge viewers to be more inventive and to think twice next time they throw away a plastic bottle of water. Viewers should note that the film contains adult language and may not be appropriate for young viewers.
That film will be paired with an animated short called “The True Cost of Food.” In a humorous style the film illustrates what food really costs consumers and the environment.
Sunday’s films kick off with “Gimme Green,” a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets, and our outlook on life. It's estimated that Americans use approximately 50 percent of their household water on their yards. By examining the social, commercial, and environmental pressures surrounding the green grass aesthetic, we begin to understand how a non-edible, resource-intensive plant could become our nation's largest irrigated crop.
The second film that night is “Trashed,” an investigation into one of the fastest growing industries in the United States: garbage. The film examines the disposal of what people think of as waste without thinking of the consequences.
Visitors to the GLEE Expo could take home a Zappy3 EZ Electric Scooter. The $600 alternate transportation vehicle, donated by EcoGanicO, will be raffled off at the Third Annual GLEE Expo on May 10. The event, which will feature over 40 vehicles and boats, takes place at Marathon High School.
Everything from electric motorcycles to a hybrid school bus will be on display. Not only that but many electric car owners will offer the opportunity for visitors to actually drive their vehicles around the block. All the companies bringing vehicles will be available to answer questions.
The Zappy3 Scooter, which has a range of 12 miles and runs at 12 miles per hour, is just one of the vehicles being brought to the Keys by EcoGanicO. Owner Pascal Schreier is also bringing a three-wheel sedan, a truck and an electric motorcycle called the Zapino.
The Expo will also feature a street legal, electric HumVee. A truly pollution free vehicle, unlike its big brother, is coming to the Expo from Joey’s Classic Electric Car Rentals in Key West, where it’s available for rent. The company is actually bringing four classic, electric cars to the Expo.
Solar powered vehicles will also be well represented at the event. Larry Wexler, who is affiliated with the Florida Solar Energy Center, will have his solar powered vehicle (www.xlr8sun.com/) on display. The car is now a contender for the $10 million Auto-Xprise.
“All lights, including headlights, are LEDs,” Wexler said. “There is no gas tank and you can drive over 2500 miles or more each week whether the sun's out or not.”
Andrew Roddy is bringing his eBox with AC Propulsion. The eBox is a new electric car from AC Propulsion that is designed to meet the needs of urban and suburban drivers who want smooth, quiet, powerful, efficient, clean, convenient, and fun-to-drive transportation. Powered by AC Propulsion’s patented drive system technology the van style vehicle delivers a combination of both power, at freeway speeds, and efficiency.
Other vehicles on display include an electric Porsche 959, several new electric motorcycles, and displays about biodiesel. The latter will include Josh Clearman and students from Key West High School who are bringing their biodiesel Mercedes.
In addition, Mark Woods of Florida Keys Community College and his students will be showing off their biodiesel boat and generator.
Attendees at the Third Annual GLEE Expo will be able to bid on a wide array of energy saving devices at the event. Everything from pool blankets to a dual flush toilet. A room at Marathon High School, the site of the event, will have all the items to be sold on display.
Some of the interesting items available for bid include a room air purifier donated by Eco Quest International, a shower aerator the reduces water flow from Ecotech Water, a putting green doormat from Simply Green, and a package of CFL light bulbs from The Energy Store.
Plants, green cleaners, t-shirts and organizational memberships are some of the other items at the Expo’s silent auction.
The Expo is, by far, the biggest ever. Ninety exhibitors from all over the Keys and Florida will be showing off their latest products designed to reduce energy consumption and make the world a greener place. In addition, forty alternate power vehicles will be on display. These include a hybrid school bus, one of three in the state, a solar powered car and several electric motorcycles.
To see a complete list of all the exhibitors go to the GLEE Website Exhibitor page.
Key West's Department of Transportation is providing free bus service on Saturday, May 10 from Key West's Old Town directly to Marathon High School. The bus service enables Expo visitors to leave their cars at home, thereby saving gas and reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions.
The first bus leaves the Gato Building at 1100 Simonton at 7:15 a.m. and arrives at the school at 9 a.m., in plenty of time for the opening of Expo.
Another bus will run from the Gato Building at 11 a.m. and arrive at the school at 12:45 p.m. The return trip, for those who took the earlier bus, leaves the high school around 12:55 p.m., arriving back in Key West at 2:05 p.m. The final trip leaves the same site in Old Town at 2:10 p.m. and arrives at the Expo at 3:55 p.m. That bus returns to Key West, leaving Marathon at 4:30 p.m.
Click here to download the schedule.