Earth Speaks During Earth Day Energy Fair Attending the first energy fair of the year is always exciting. This year the first was the 1992 Renewable Energy & Efficiency Fair, on April 25th, held in Arcata, California. Our crew loaded up the trucks and drove through the green springtime mountains. We arrived in Arcata on the eve of what was to be a first-hand lesson in natural power. Saturday morning we drove to Redwood Park and set up our booths. The park is a large meadow perched on the hillside above Arcata and is ringed with tall redwood trees. The sun blessed the fair by making an appearance for the first time in days. Fairgoers arrived by shuttle bus and began cruising the booths, asking questions, gathering information both verbal and printed. Workshops began on all manner of renewable subjects in the conference hall of the park. The Earth Games for the kids started. The solar stage, powered by photovoltaics, inverters and batteries hosted music, skits and speakers. At 11:06 AM the big show happened, the one no one had scheduled. A 6.9 earthquake, centered 40 miles south of Arcata, hit the fair. The ground jerked, then rolled like a small boat in large ocean swells. The tall redwood trees that had looked so friendly that morning now looked threatening as they swayed and lurched their entire lengths. In a few moments it was over. No trees had fallen, no one was hurt, and the band played on, powered by the sun. Throughout the day we had reports of the damage that quake had done in Arcata and beyond. Grid power was temporarily out for 23,000 homes. Witnesses closer to the epicenter reported power lines swaying and colliding, then sparking and shorting. Gas lines sprung leaks from Petrolia to Eureka and caused fires. Luckily, no damage was reported at Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Eureka. This plant was shut down in 1988 because it sits on a major earthquake fault. There is still radioactive waste stored there. We got Nature's message. So did the 2,000 people who attended REEF '92. Decentralized renewable energy allowed us to rock and roll while those around us were powerless. When it comes to producing power, Mother Nature wins. Kathleen and the whole HP Crew