As I write, it feels like winter, but they say spring is coming. I believe Earth will bring us spring eventually, and we’ll all be glad to celebrate Earth once again.
April 22 is Earth Day, a worldwide celebration of Earth started in 1970. At Stillwaters, we have been celebrating with EcoFest (ecology festival) every April. Over the years we’ve had way more snow and rain than pleasant weather for this outdoor community event. This year, we are “wising up” and moving EcoFest to June 9. With any luck, at least the rain will be warmer.
But we can all still celebrate Earth Day every day, and especially at these various events near here.
– World Earth Hour 2012: March 31, 8:30-9:30 p.m. On March 31, hundreds of millions of citizens from 100 different countries will switch off the lights. In 2010, people turned off their lights for World Earth Hour. For Earth Hour 2012, we will continue this powerful global action on climate change.
World Earth Hour is the largest call for action on climate change in history and continues to grow every year. Celebrate your action for the planet with the people of world by switching off your lights for an hour, then go beyond the hour and switch them off every chance you get. You can have fun with this by creating your Earth Hour Lantern — see www.earthhour.org/page/fun-stuff/virtual-lantern — and sharing it on Facebook or Twitter.
– In Your Own Backyard?: Plant a Tree, save the planet, any day in April. A challenge to each and every one of us to make a difference in the world and plant a tree. Need a tree? Check out the native plant nursery at Stillwaters.
– Navy Earth Day (PSNS&IMF Bremerton Earth Week): April 16–20 in Bremerton. Information will be provided about Energy, Recycling, Commuting Alternatives, Pollution Prevention and other green options. For more information, email brian.brandt@navy.mil.
– University of Washington Earth Day Celebration: April 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. UW will host an annual Earth Day celebration as part of UW’s Husky Fest celebration, a weeklong event in honor of the 150th anniversary of UW.
This year’s events include an exhibit fair, presentation of the Husky Green Awards, Campus Clean Up sponsored by Honest Tea, music, trash-in, and more. All events are free and open to the public.
Come learn what UW is doing to be more sustainable, and why the Sierra Club named UW the No. 1 Coolest School in the country this year. For more information, visit http://green.washington.edu/earth-day-2012.
– Stillwaters’ Tend the Earth Day: April 21, 10 a.m. to ?. We’ll be doing some clean-up, noxious weed removal, and planting projects in the Kingston area, and hope to follow it up with a picnic (weather permitting). Please get your name on our list if you are interested. Call (360) 297-1226 or email info@stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org.
– Cell Phone Recycling Event: Bainbridge Island and Islandwood, April 22, noon to 4 p.m. Cell Seattle is partnering with Islandwood during their afternoon on the trails. They will be accepting donations of used cell phones in any condition, as well as user manuals and other accessories to be responsibly recycled.
– Bangor Earth Day Fair: April 25, all day, at Bangor. Earth Day booths, recycling, wildlife shelter, etc. Community and Navy booths. For more information, email carlotta.cellucci@navy.mil.
To find more Earth Day events in our area, check the local papers or go to www.earthday.org. Happy Earth Day!
Stillwaters is starting a new Sustainability Discussion Group in the fall. If you are interested, call (360) 297-1226.
— Naomi Maasberg is director of Stillwaters Environmental Center.
