The humble soybean will be in the spotlight at the 10th annual Living Green Expo at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, May 7-8. The Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition (TC4) will be offering free samples of soy biobased products to the first 500 visitors to their booth at the Expo.
One of the more interesting applications of a product made from soybeans will be the carpet used at a “Green Wedding” at the Expo, as well as some soy-based auto products as a wedding gift to the newlyweds who won a contest to have an environmentally-conscious wedding during the popular event.
The free weekend event, which draws thousands of visitors, is being expanded to multiple buildings at the Fairgrounds this year, including the Creative Activities, Education, 4-H, Fine Arts and Progress Center Buildings. The Living Green Expo hours are from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 and 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 8.
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The wedding carpet was donated by Universal Textile Technologies, a Dalton, Georgia based firm that has developed a series of carpet products using soy-based polymers. Deluxe Carpet, a local Saint Paul company, has also donated their services to cut, transport and install the carpeting for the special day.
This is one example of how the soybean is being used in a host of new products, thanks to farmer investment in research, testing and promotion. You can find more information on these products on United Soybean Board website, www.soybiobased.org.