Welcome to the backstage portal of Earth Fest! Thank you for helping us bring hyper local climate adaptation education and engagement to this region. You are making a difference!

Presenters, vendors, volunteers, and venue team: please bookmark this page for all information needed on the day of the event. Use the navigation panel to hop where you need to go.

Andy and Kendra will be on call all day Friday for set up and Saturday for execution. Save our numbers! Andy is (608) 692-8830 / Kendra is (352) 316-5401. You can also submit any questions to hello@decarbondekalb.com.

Earth Fest Facts

DATE/TIME:  Saturday, April 5 9:30am - 5:30pm

LOCATION: The majority of Earth Fest is held in Founders Memorial Library, 217 Normal Road, DeKalb, IL 60115. We will also utilize Normal Road for food trucks, and Swen Parson 146 for family-friendly sessions hosted by NIU STEAM.

DESCRIPTION:  DeKalb County Earth Fest is a collaboration between DeCarbon DeKalb, NIU Office of Sustainability, and NIU Founders Memorial Library.  It is free and open to all students, staff, faculty, and local/regional community members.   We anticipate 300-400 attendees in waves across the event.  The event includes seminars, a community resource expo, and a networking social with a sustainable fashion show.

PARKING:  Attendees have been directed to the surface lot near the library as well as the parking garage. Parking has been advertised as ample, accessible, and free.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES:  Three food trucks will be located on Normal Road near the library.  They will arrive between 9:30-10:00am and will serve from 11-3pm.  Einstein Bagels will be open in the library 8:30-1:30pm. A cash bar will be available during the expo 11-2pm (Campus Dining) and during the networking social 4:00-5:30pm (Tapa La Luna).

EXPO:  30+ community organizations and vendors will table during the resource expo 11-2pm. Expo participants have been directed to use the service drive and loading dock at Founders Memorial Library.  Volunteers will be available to help unload so the drive can clear quickly.  

Earth Fest Schedule

Earth Fest Contact Info

For Presenters

Thank you for bringing your expertise to DeKalb County Earth Fest! We are so grateful for your participation in this second annual communiversity engagement event.

Here is your presenter information:

  • Please check the schedule above for presentation locations. Schedules and maps will be available at the venue as well.

  • If using a presentation slide deck, please send the file in Power Point format by noon on Friday to hello@decarbondekalb.com. Please bring a flashdrive backup of the presentation on Saturday.

  • Presentation slide decks are not required - let us know if you don’t have one and we’ll create a graphic for you.

  • Please specify if additional tech needs exist (playing video, audio, etc.).

  • No need for personal computers: our team will preset a device in each space preloaded with presentation slide decks.

  • Event leadership and AV support will be available in each presentation space to introduce you and remedy tech issues.

  • Personal computers are permitted; please let us know if you plan to use one so we can double check the adapter needs.

  • Please plan to arrive in your presentation location ten minutes prior to start.

  • Free, accessible parking is available adjacent the event venue at 121 Carroll Ave, DeKalb, IL. There is also a parking garage just south of the venue.

  • At the event, please visit the DeCarbon DeKalb booth in the lower level for your name badge.

If you haven’t already, please register here!

Need help during the event? Reach out to Andy (608) 692-8834 or Kendra (352) 316-5401. Can’t find us? Look for the executive planning team or venue team wearing light grey Earth Fest t-shirts. Have questions? Please reach out at hello@decarbondekalb.com.


Additional technical and space specifications

Amplification

  • Staff Lounge, Founders Gallery, and 71 North have gooseneck handheld wireless microphones that can be mobile.

  • 393 is not amplified when split into two rooms, but can be amplified as a single room.

  • Founders Gallery has two microphones.

  • Staff lounge has one microphone.

  • 71 North has two to three microphones.


Space adjustments

  • All Earth Fest spaces will remain in the same configuration during the event with the exception of 393.

  • 393 will convert from a double room with tables and chairs to a single room at 12:00pm.

  • The garage doors to 71 North will need to remain closed through the morning session to decrease sound bleed from the expo set up. There are no sessions in 71 North in the afternoon.

  • Trane breakouts in 393 will have tables and chairs.

For Expo Vendors and Participants

Earth Fest is on Saturday, April 5.  Seminars and events run from 9:30am-5:30pm. The Expo portion runs from 11am-2pm.  We hope that you can join us for seminars before and after the Expo! 

Founders Memorial Library is at 217 Normal Road, DeKalb, and free parking is available at 121 Carroll Avenue, DeKalb. If you need a loading dock, you can drop-off material between 9-10:45pm.  The loading dock can accommodate two vehicles at a time.  Please queue in the service drive and wait for a space to clear.  The service drive is one-way traffic moving east.  You can leave your materials at the dock while you park (free) so that others may unload.  The Expo is at the same floor level as the dock and carts will be available.  A volunteer will be at the dock from 2pm - 3pm for pick-up as well.  

If you do not need a loading dock for direct drop-off, you can still use it as an entrance to carry your materials in.  Or, you can enter at the lower-level entrance adjacent to Normal Road on the north side of the building.  Tables in the 71 North space will be marked with your organization name.

We hope you will stay after the expo! Your table can be set up and broken down any time of time to accommodate your participation in other Earth Fest events. Please plan to vacate the table by 5:45pm.

If you still need to pay for your table, a check can be sent to DeCarbon DeKalb, 413 Fairmont Drive, DeKalb, IL 60115 or pay the fee here electronically.

Please register here for all Earth Fest info straight to your inbox!

For cross promotion to your networks, here’s the Facebook event.

THANK YOU for joining us and please reach out to Andy or Kendra with any questions.

For Volunteers

Thank you for volunteering for the second annual DeKalb County Earth Fest! We’re Andy and Kendra, co-founders of DeCarbon DeKalb, and on behalf of our executive planning team please accept our heartfelt gratitude for your time and ability to contribute. 

When you arrive at Earth Fest, please stop by the DeCarbon DeKalb table near the lower level entrance to grab your name tag. There will be a place to recycle the lanyard before you leave, so plan to stop by and drop it off. We're a low waste event and love to reuse anything we can year to year! 

There are three groups of volunteers: Event Load In, Expo Load In, and Event Load Out. Here are the details!

Event Load In Volunteers

Aaron Malone, Zaira Hernandez, JayImani Mccurine, Kate Hagenbuch

8:30am - 10am

Please meet us at the DeCarbon DeKalb table in the lower level of Founders Memorial Library at 8:30am on April 5. Look for Kendra or Andy; we'll be wearing Earth Fest t-shirts and nametags. There will be a few light tasks as the event kicks off including final signage, name tag building, and checking of spaces. We hope you can stick around afterwards for sessions and the expo!

Expo Load In Volunteers

Carlos Fonseca Jr, Juana Naa Akosua Appiah, Onyenum Ruth Udoh, Jaylon Joyner

10am - 11:30am

Please meet us at the DeCarbon DeKalb table in the lower level of Founders Memorial Library at 10am on April 5. Look for Kendra or Andy; we'll be wearing Earth Fest t-shirts and nametags. Prepare to help us load the expo in from the library loading dock to the expo area. We hope you can stick around afterwards for sessions and the expo - thank you for helping us create a smooth load in process!

Event Load Out Volunteers

Natalia Silva-Ramírez, David Binkley, Dakota Williams, Niko Ragano, Peregrin Capriglione, Alexus Hughes

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Please meet us near the DeCarbon DeKalb photo booths on the first level of Founders Memorial Library at 5:30 on April 5. Look for Kendra or Andy; we'll be wearing Earth Fest t-shirts and nametags. Prepare to help us with clean-up and load out of the booths, bar, and signage removal. We'll try to be quick. We hope you can join us in the afternoon for the expo and sessions - thank you for helping us leave no trace in the library!

We’ll see you there!

Saturday, April 5, 2025

9:30 - 5:30 PM

NIU Founders Library

217 Normal Road

DeKalb, IL

Free, accessible parking!

FAQ

  • We would love to see registration from all participants, vendors, and presenters! You can find it here.

    Registration is not required, so please feel free to continue inviting friends, family, and neighbors to join us for Earth Fest.

  • Parking is free! There is a parking garage to the south of the library (enter from south Normal Road or Carroll Avenue). There is also a surface lot on Carroll Avenue. Both are free on Saturdays.

  • We have a few needs remaining - volunteers can sign up here.

  • Ask away anytime at hello@decarbondekalb.com!