celebrating earth day
Posted on 07. Apr, 2010 by Sarah Nieman in muse
Are you looking for a creative way to celebrate Earth Day? Or maybe you have completely forgotten that Earth Day is coming up, but are always looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday. Either way, you should head out to Earth Fest 2010 on Saturday, April 17.
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, due to efforts from Senator Nelson of Wisconsin to raise awareness in Washington about environmental concerns across the United States. Marking the beginning of what we know as the environmental movement, previously isolated groups that protested oil spills, pesticides, the loss of wilderness, species extinction, and toxic waste, just to name a few, realized that their message was stronger collectively.
With spreading concerns about global warming, it’s more important than ever for us to make “Earth Day resolutions” to to help our Earth become a safer, healthier, greener place to live. Wichita’s annual Earth Fest is an opportunity for us to learn about ways that we can collectively help make Wichita a more environmentally sound city. I hope you’ve read my article about this year’s Earth Fest, but if not, I’ll give you the skinny:
On April 17 from 10AM to 9PM, you, your friends, and your family are invited to Herman Hill Park at the Wichita Water Center (Broadway and Pawnee) for a fun, environmentally friendly celebration.
Dianne Waltner, whom I interviewed for the article, is a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita, and a member of their Green Sanctuary Committee. However, after reading the article in the magazine, Dianne wanted me to make sure everyone knew that Connie Pace-Adair, fellow member of the Green Sanctuary Committee and the founder of Earth Spirit Kansas, is the one responsible for spearheading Earth Fest, AND that the Green Sanctuary Committee is just one of the many sponsors of the event (along with Wichita Parks & Recreation, Wichita Renewable Energy, Peace & Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas, Great Plains Earth Institute, Healthy Solutions at Barney’s, KCTU-TV 43, Infinite Growth Opportunities, Global Faith in Action, Mid America All Indian Center, and First Unitarian Universalist Church).
Along with sponsoring the event, Dianne and the Green Sanctuary Committee are also participants. Diane is a member of the “Food Makes a Real Difference” panel, and Connie is giving the closing ceremony. The full schedule of events is as follows:
10:00 Solar Cookout Demo Begins (Fox Thornton, Wichita Renewable Energy)
10:30 Opening Ceremony: Plaza Area
10:30 Drumming/Singing (Dan Rutledge Family, Mid America All Indian Center)
11:00 Water Center Tour (Water Center Staff )
11:00 Vendor Areas inside and outside the Wichita Water Center open
12:00 Keynote Adress – “Food For All: Is Perennial Polyculture the Answer?”: Wichita Water Center Auditorium (Ken Warren, Managing Director, The Land Institute)
1:30 Panel – “Food Makes a Real Difference”: Wichita Water Center Auditorium (Dr. Walt Chappell from the KS Board of Education, Wichita; Cindy Siebler – Grandma’s Farm and Prairie Land Food Program; Susan Shocket – IGO Community Gardening; Rev. Sam Muyskens – Haiti, the Moringa Tree, and The Environment; Dana Ellison – VISTA, Breakthrough Club of Sedgwick County, H.E.A.L. Grant, and Gardening; Kent Rowe – Dynamics of Practical Permaculture; Dianne Waltner – Veganism and The Environment; First Nations – Enduring Food Heritage; Juliann Gillette – Tulsa Youth and the Positives of Gardening; Honey Queen 2010 – How Honey Helps; Dr. Laura Shook – You Are What You Eat: Local and Seasonally Appropriate Food.)
3:00 Recycled Fashion Show: Aquarium Area
3:00 Vendor Areas close
4:00 Music at Stage Area continues
4:45 Museum Site Speakers I. Presentations – Q&A (Denise Dias – Green Cleaning; Diane Dorsch – Rain Gardens and Rain Barrels; more speakers TBA)
5:45 Museum Site Speakers II. Presentations – Q&A (Ken Lockwood, Eagle Valley Raptor Center; more speakers TBA)
6:45 Museum Site Presentations end
6:45 Music at Stage Area continues
8:30 LED Light Show (John Avett, Wichita Renewable Energy)
9:00 Closing Ceremony: Plaza Area (Rev. Connie Pace-Adair, Earth Spirit Kansas Coalition)
This Earth Day celebration is an annual event here in Wichita, and it is always free to the public. While the theme of the day is “Just Food,” there won’t actually be food provided, aside from samples, so everyone is invited to bring picnic lunches and spend the day learning how to take better care of Mother Earth. With all-ages solar powered concerts, activities for children, vendors presenting a myriad of environmentally friendly products, and special presentations covering important environmental issues, you’ll have so much fun that you’ll forget the event is supposed to be educational.
If enough Wichitans show up to spend Earth Day giving back to Pachamama, maybe she’ll even keep the wind at bay.
