One of the best (and sometimes the most challenging) places to promote energy understanding is on the street. It's something we're quite used to, having started making small low voltage PA equipment for street performance over 20 years ago. People on modern shopping streets are mainly intent on stuff like shopping, meeting their friends or grabbing a sandwich before rushing back to work. It's not easy getting them to queue up for free low energy light bulbs or sign a petition. On the other hand you get to connect with people who wouldn't have otherwise bothered to think about environmental awareness, so it's definitely worth a go.

Instant effect stuff like our pedal powered inflatable binliner monsters and iPod Booster are good for grabbing people's attention. We've had a lot of success with the pedal powered mp3 Booster; so many people have some sort of mp3 device, and being able to instantly broadcast 30 or 40 Watts of the contents by direct pedal power is quite impressive. Not only that but it turns the self centred idea of the iPod inside out - suddenly everyone can hear what was just inside one person's head. It's been particularly good with groups of teenagers who are often carrying copies of their own original hip-hop or other home-made music in their mp3's or phones. Sometimes they've only mixed it the night before and relish the opportunity to play it out in public on a system with good volume and bass response.
Our latest development of this idea is this highly portable pedal powered mp3 DJ system ideal for teen projects.

The most unpleasant and difficult aspect of setting up equipment on the street is getting it there. Obviously a vehicle has to be used, but driving one into a pedestrian area is very stressful for the driver and not at all good for the pedestrians. I've worked out an ideal solution to this. Three pedal generators and various handcrank devices and displays can be carried up to a mile or so on our pedestrian trailer which dismantles on arrival to form a small table. That way a small car can be put in the nearest parking area; the trailer carries the whole contents of the car in one go. It will go through standard width doorways and fits into lifts in multi storey car parks; it's all made out of recycled parts and provides a practical demonstration of moving a lot of stuff without a motor vehicle.
The idea worked so well we've now acquired a vehicle with a wheelchair ramp so the trailer can be rolled straight in or out fully loaded.