Indoors & Out: Eco Experience at the fair and Japanese lantern lighting

Where can you get ideas for kids' creative play areas, conserving water in your home and play Climate Bingo? You'll find them at the Minnesota State Fair's Eco Experience in the Progress Center building. This year's exhibits include a 15-foot Paul Bunyan Zone highlighting Minnesota's clothing waste, Fix-It Clinics demonstrating common repairs for reuse, a one-room mobile hotel, a solar-powered Tiny House and a 14-foot long living "green" wall. Programs on eco-friendly living are scheduled throughout the fair's run, Aug. 25-Sept. 5. Go to mnstatefair.org for a schedule of events.

While you're at the Eco Experience, look for the orange banners where you can "Pledge to Plant for Pollinators and Clean Water," a new campaign launched by the West Metro Water Alliance and other partners. The project's goal is to get landowners to plant 10,000 native plantings, to protect pollinators and Minnesota lakes, by 2020. Experts will be on hand to answer questions and offer tips, and there will be a native plant scavenger hunt.

Not going to the fair? You can pledge online at bluethumb.org/pledge. The website offers resources including native plant nurseries, landscapers, designers, installers and a plant selector tool to help homeowners find the right native plant for their growing conditions.

Como Park will present its annual salute to Japanese culture at the Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival, a family-friendly event on Aug. 21. Bonsai, martial arts, ikebana, singing, dancing, drumming and Japanese food will be celebrated from 3 to 9 p.m. on the grounds of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Dr., St. Paul. The lanterns will be lit at 8 p.m.

Admission is $5 for ages 13 and older, $3 per child (ages 3 to 12) and seniors, free for children under 3. Free shuttle service will be available until 10:30 p.m. from an off-site parking lot at 1930 Como Av. For more information, visit comozooconservatory.org.