The Crestone Energy Fair

The Crestone Energy Fair is one of the longest-running sustainability fairs in the nation. In September 2024, we hosted our 35th annual event with over 1500 live attendees and thousands of viewers on our YouTube Channel. 

Run by committed and passionate volunteers, the Crestone Energy Fair is a free event committed to empowering attendees by providing them with education and skills that can help them choose alternative building methodologies and materials in their future projects. In addition to our yearly in-person event, we also offer opportunities for ongoing education throughout the year.

Your donations have helped us keep the Crestone Energy Fair free for thirty-five years.

History:

Crestone is located in Saguache County, where strict building codes are not imposed on residential properties. 

Over the years, many local homeowners have built their homes using alternative construction and sustainable energy systems, providing Crestone with one of the highest concentrations of natural and regeneratively-built homes in the nation. 

For thirty-five years, the Crestone Energy Fair has provided thousands of attendees with hands-on workshops, educational seminars, home tours and ongoing learning opportunities in natural and regenerative building methods.

We need your help!

As rural Colorado grows, it becomes increasingly important to model and practice a culture of regenerative living, permaculture and sustainability in our community. We need your help to continue offering our event and educational content for free, ensuring that everyone has access to information and resources regardless of their financial situation.

Behind the scenes, the Crestone Energy Fair is a year-long operation. There is a lot that goes into our annual event and our ongoing education series, and we need a dedicated, passionate and hardworking crew to make it all happen.

The Crestone Energy Fair has remained free for all attendees for thirty-five years, and we rely on donations, sponsorships and grants not only to fund our yearly event, but also to compensate our crew.

This holiday season, we are reaching out to our amazing community for support to help us preserve these unique ways of living. We believe that with a strong mission and a strong crew, we can make a difference not only in our community, but also as an example to other communities seeking alternative options.

It takes a village, and we deeply appreciate your ongoing support.

2024 Operating Expenses:

CEF Crew Stipends: $23,758.00
Contractors: $8,956.88
Presenters: $5,500.00
Musicians: $1,250.00
Fundraising Expense: $4,793.21
ScSeed (parent organization) 5% of income: $3,202.49
Rentals: $2,105.00
Stationery & Printing: $1,946.17
Advertising: $1,360.74
Merchandise Expense: $1,186.24
Food for event crew: $1,179.65
Home Tours Expense: $1,149.71
Workshops: $924.77
Construction & Building Supplies: $803.21
Dues & Subscriptions: $567.62
Other Supplies: $515.37
Insurance: $484.92
Demo site expenses: $262.65
Donations to other organizations: $252.00
Trash/Recycling: $200.00
Utilities: $100.00
Bank Charges: $3.00

TOTAL: $58,001.63

We are seeking $15,000 to help us cover some of our operating expenses for 2025.

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