Special Preview: The Bay Area Maker Faire

7. Electric Mazda Miata

If you’re a proud owner of a classic Mazda Miata, stop by maker Pat Mackey’s booth this weekend to learn how you can make your sports car run cleaner and greener.

Mackey’s company, EV Miata, builds and sells DIY kits that convert a first-generation Miata into an 100-percent electric vehicle (EV).

Mackey’s kits allow you to build the kind of EV you want: With a choice of DC controller, charger and batteries, you can design the car for speed or for extended electric driving range.

Electric Miatas with AGM batteries can travel for 20 miles on a single charge, while lithium batteries will enable the car to achieve a driving range of 90 miles or more. Fully recharging the Miata’s new battery will take around six hours.

Any hobbyist car tinkerer can easily install the EV Miata kit with common hand and power tools; no welding is required. But if you don’t want to install the kit yourself or don’t have a Mazda Miata, EV Miata can convert and source cars for you.

Check Out: Must-Ask Eco Questions: Buying an Electric Vehicle

8. Water-saving home projects

You already recycle your cans, bottles and paper, so why not recycle your water, too?

At nonprofit Greywater Action’s Maker Faire booth, you’ll learn how to harvest rainwater, build a composting toilet and use waste water from your washing machine to irrigate your yard – all projects that can save thousands of gallons of water per year and reduce your utility bills.

Get Started: A Budgeter’s Guide to Rainwater Harvesting

9. Backyard beekeeping 101

Have you been considering taking up beekeeping as a new hobby?

Backyard beekeeping has many benefits: It supports local bee populations, reduces the distance your food travels to your plate and can alleviate seasonal allergies.

Professional beekeeper Mike Harrel and other skilled apiarists will be hosting daily workshops on backyard beekeeping at this weekend’s festival, explaining the skills and equipment you’ll need to start your very own beehive.

The Latest Buzz: Urban Beekeeping is the New (Controversial) Way to ‘Go Local’