FARMINGTON -- Chris and Ashirah Knapp, Maine guides and experienced teachers of wilderness living, use one traditional source of natural energy to manage another.

Chris' father, Burt Knapp, kept close behind his tiny 2-year-old grandson Owen, who ran excitedly from table to table on Saturday at the Farmington Conservation Fair. They examined squashes and patted potatoes while young Owen's parents participated in a day of environmental awareness.

"There were some good simple ideas in other times," Ashirah said, as she rocked infant Bonnie Bee at their exhibit at the town's Community and Recreation Center. "It makes sense to look at other worlds and other times to relearn some of those skills."

Chris and Ashirah Knapp run the Koviashuvil Local Living School in Temple, teaching practical and inexpensive ways to live well while preserving the environment.

The school's name comes from the Inuit language and means "a time and place of joy in the present moment." They teach classes in Maine schools and also offer instruction from half-days to a full weekend. Students of all ages learn to collect wild greens, make pack-baskets, tan deerskins and make acorns into flour.

Speaker Iver Lofving enjoys the "game," as he called it, of discovering readily available and affordable renewable energy. He was interviewed on a national news channel, and he chuckled as he replayed the clip.

"They kind of wanted to paint me as a survivalist," he said. "I just want to figure out a way to make changes in our family's regular lifestyle, spending half the money, and using half the fuel, and making half the carbon, which means sort of a win-win-win thing."

The family traded their cars for ones that got better mileage and installed a photovoltaic system to charge cell phones and provide back-up lighting.

Their solar wood drying shed, he said, worked much better than leaving their firewood outdoor to dry.

"We purchased and built a SUNNev solar electric car," he said. "It can be run for a penny a mile and is great for getting around town and to work."

The car is recharged from the sun or can be plugged in. It has a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 30 miles. It is street legal, with a windshield wiper, disc brakes, seat belts, turn signals and lights.

Pouring rain didn't keep attendees from other events at the Old South Congregational Church and the University of Maine at Farmington. The volunteer speakers and events were part of an international effort called 350 Day.

"Everyone should understand that 350ppm (parts per million) of carbon in the Earth's atmosphere is the limit for a healthy planet," organizer Jeremy Smith explained.

Researchers have found evidence that civilization has already exceeded that limit, and to reverse and even repair the damage, society has to become more educated about the risks of continuing to ignore the dangers of excessive energy consumption.