The dirt: Expo is green and growing

Green things tend to grow, and the Living Green Expo is no exception.

The annual event, now in its seventh year, first sprouted at the State Capitol, where it attracted a few thousand people. It was soon relocated to a larger venue, the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, and last year's Expo drew more than 22,000 -- the point at which organizers lost count, said Ned Brooks, one of the event's founders.

As the green movement has gained traction, the Expo's reach has broadened, Brooks said. Once targeted to the narrow-niche environmental community, it's now a mass-audience event, with "household name" sponsors, including Target and Xcel Energy. Exhibitors have expanded as more companies offer green choices and pitch them to mainstream audiences. And music and children's activities have been added, "to create a whole package to appeal to families, not just the greenest of the green, but the environmentally curious," he said.

"What's changed is who we're targeting. What hasn't changed is the message: that a green lifestyle is easier than people think and not necessarily more expensive."

This year's exhibitors, more than 200 of them, will range from green builders to natural landscaping resources to clean energy and household-product suppliers.

And if you've already green enough to swap your regular lightbulbs for CFLs (compact fluorescents), you can bring your burned-out, mercury-containing bulbs with you and recycle them at the Great River Energy Recycling Center just outside the Grandstand building.

Rain garden 101 If you'd like to go a little greener in the garden this year, there are plenty of things you can do: start composting to reduce yard and kitchen waste; opt for natural fertilizers for your lawn and garden; put in a rain garden. Rain gardens help improve the quality of the water in our lakes and streams by reducing runoff.

Metro Blooms is making rain gardening a little easier by sponsoring a series of educational workshops on how to plan and plant a rain garden. In addition to the basic workshop, the nonprofit organization also offers a two-hour coaching session on rain gardening as well as on-site consultations and reimbursement grants for buying native plants.

For more information on all things rain garden, www.metroblooms.org.

CONNIE NELSON