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Partner with an award-winning exhibition to engage Minnesotans with environmental ideas, challenges, and inspiration for a better future.

This 12-day exhibition from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) draws nearly 260,000 visitors per year. As one of the most popular buildings at the State Fair, the event draws prominent visitors like Minnesota’s governor, state and federal representatives, business, media and nonprofit leaders, and local Arctic explorers.

Engaging

Girl sitting on electric bike with second girl in the front cargo box in front of a blurry photo background to look like bike is in motion.

Visitors spend time asking questions and learning about environmental ideas and the work of the MPCA. One third of the people who come to the Eco Experience are looking for specific information. Other organizations around the country have replicated the exhibit because of its high impact and engagement value. Since 2006, the event has been recognized for its large scope, high integrity, and widespread impact.

Media and social coverage of the exhibition has generated an average of 50 million media impressions every year. In 2024, there were nine television segments, six radio shows and stories, and nearly 20 print and online stories and features published during the Fair. The more than 100 social media posts (includes Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Nextdoor) reached over 150,000 viewers and triggered more than 1,500 engagements.

Eco Experience media contacts
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Media contacts

For story ideas and information, contact MPCA's Lauren Lewandowski at 651-757-2756 or 800-657-3864 (Minnesota toll free).

Collaborative

In addition to the Minnesota State Fair and MPCA, many government, business, and nonprofit partners contribute more than $1 million each year to the event.

2025 exhibitors and major partners

  • Fireflies Play Environments, Crow's Nest Design, and Landscape Renovations
  • Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE)
  • Macalester College
  • Metro Blooms partnered with Blue Thumb
  • Metropolitan Council - Environmental Services
  • Minnesota Department of Agriculture partnered with Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, and University of Minnesota Extension
  • Minnesota Department of Commerce – Energy Division partnered with GreenStep Cities, and Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs)
  • Minnesota Department of Health Environmental Health Division
  • Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Transit and Active Transportation
  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  • Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES)
  • Minnesota State Fair
  • Renewing the Countryside
  • University of Minnesota (with partnership funding of Minnesota DNR and USDA Forest Service)
  • Xcel Energy

Innovative

Partners connect with visitors through creative and interactive experiences and exhibits. Eco Experience has partnered and continues to partner with companies and organizations dedicated to sustainability, ecology, and environmentalism.

Xcel Energy: Renewable energy and energy efficiency

People looking at a blue electric vehicle.

Xcel's experience offered information on energy efficiency programs like AC Rewards, Home Energy Squad, lighting deals, and renewable energy options, all with the goal of empowering visitors to take action and understand that together we can get to a carbon-free future. 

Interactive exhibits included a tiny house with tips and tricks to conserve energy at home and an EV garage where visitors could practice charging an electric vehicle. 

Renewing the Countryside: Farmland access, food and economic resilience 

A person places samples of food in small white paper cups on a tray.

Renewing the Countryside's experience provided educational and engaging storytelling that speaks to the issues and solutions around farmland preservation and resilience playing out in Minnesota today and what we hope to see in the future. The exhibit featured hands-on activities for kids to learn more about Minnesota-grown produce, Minnesota farmers and food-makers who offered samples of their products, daily demonstrations by celebrated Minnesotan chefs who cooked their favorite recipes using Minnesota ingredients, daily movie and local popcorn nights, and more.

Blue Thumb: Protecting water and pollinators in your backyard

Group of girls place their faces in flower cut outs to have photo taken.

Blue Thumb created an educational native plant exhibit that helped visitors envision their own yards bee-ing a part of the change to support pollinators. In the exhibit, visitors could learn about all the different native plants they can plant in their own yards, learn how to create pollinator habitats, manage stormwater runoff, and find resources to start a project. The exhibit also provided information on Minnesota's state pollinators, the Rusty Patched bumblebee and Monarch butterfly, and distributed free buttons upon completing a pollinator activity.