earthdayevents
Celebrate Earth Day
2014 Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Renew the Health of Our Planet
W
hether already an activist or still struggling to sort recyclables, we all have a
prime opportunity during the week of April 22 to renew our individual and collective pledge to tread more lightly on the planet. “Environmentalism touches every
part of our lives, from what we eat to what we wear to what we breathe,” says Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers. “Learning about where our food comes from or how a product is made can be fun,” she con- tinues, “and awareness is the founda- tion for action.”
More than a billion citizens have
already registered their acts of green through the organization’s website; this year, the campaign seeks to engage a billion more. Suggestions range from the personal, such as pledging to stop using disposable plastic, to the political, in calling our congressional representa- tives to reestablish a tax credit program for renewable energy. With an estimated two out of
every three people on Earth expected to be living in cities by 2050—strain- ing water, energy and transportation systems—Earth Day Network has cho- sen Green Cities as this year’s theme. Advocates are calling upon cities to invest in smart grids, overhaul outdat- ed building codes and increase public transportation options.
U.S. success stories helping to lead
the way include Chicago’s Solar Express program, using incentives to drive solar installations, and New York City’s
18 Collier/Lee Counties
Visit
EarthDay.org to pledge a personal act of green, find a volunteer opportu- nity or learn more about the re-green- ing of urban communities around the world. Help Southwest Florida cel- ebrate its progress toward sustainability at these local Earth Day 2014 events.
The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens – Party for the Planet
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, April 5
Party for the Planet, the national Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA) annual Earth Day event, is one of the largest Earth Day celebrations on record. Enjoy a variety of family-friendly conservation fun at the Naples Zoo.
• Goodwill Industries, Audubon of the Western Everglades, Conservation Collier, Everglades National Park, FGCU Conservation Group, Friends of Fakahatchee, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Resaearch Reserve and other organiza- tions will host activities for kids and information for parents
• Conservation Station has information about orga- nizations that protect the Naples environment
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
pedestrian plazas, designed to replace urban gridlock with open space. Den- ver’s low-income South Lincoln neigh- borhood is also getting a makeover with its green public housing community that boasts a platinum-certified Leader- ship in Energy & Environmental Design building. Its energy efficiency and water reuse systems are reducing resource consumption by up to 40 percent. Plus, bicycle lanes in roads and expanded access to city bus and tram systems decrease traffic-related pollution.
• Zoo Town for Kidz includes fun games, arts and crafts made from recycled materials
• Nature’s Mall features green-friendly businesses
Location: 1590 Goodlette Rd., Naples. For more information, call the Info ZooLine at 239-262-5409 or visit
NaplesZoo.com.
Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium
Free 4 p.m. screenings of Sierra Club films, followed by lectures, celebrate Earth Day all month long.
• April 5 & 27 – 1,000 Miles in 100 Days – Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition – Lecture on the Flor- ida panther by Alexis Meyer, National Sierra Club kicks off Pennies for Panthers campaign
• April 6 & 13 – Gasland 2 – Lecture by Sierra Club and Preserve Our Paradise on oil drilling
• April 12 & 26 – Bag It! – Sierra Club cloth bags to first 50 attendees
• April 19 – The City Dark – Discussion by Inter- national Dark Sky Association
• April 22 – Mother Nature’s Child – inspired by author Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods and nature deficit disorder
Location: 3450 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-275-3435, email Info@Calu-
saNature.org or visit
CalusaNature.org.
Lee County GAC Earth Day Trash Bash 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 12
Sponsored by Keep Lee County Beautiful, this 25th annual countywide cleanup and beautification campaign—the nation’s largest organized event of its kind—is part of the nationwide Great American Cleanup (GAC) effort sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.
Location: Check-in and collection sites are located throughout the county. For a site list and more information, call 239-334-3488 or visit
klcb.org.
13th Annual Earth Day Festival at Riverside Park
(co-sponsored by Preserve Our Paradise and the Responsible Growth Management Coalition)
10 a.m. to sunset, Saturday, April 12
• Local art displays, demonstrations and environ- mental presentations
• Kids’ activities, including dinosaur ride and bone yard play area from No Limits Learning, teepee painting, science lab with microscopes and interac- tive cave experience
• Live music by Natural Spirit, James Willhite Band, Sweetclover and Adam Mack, solar powered by Fafco Solar
• Florida Native Plant Society will lead projects; Using Worms to Make Natural Fertilizers, Food Sources for Butterflies and Caterpillars and Local Butterflies Display.
• Kayak rides on the Imperial River
• Animals from Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Kowiachobee Animal Preserve.
• An interactive art project made from recyclable materials by Cesar Aguilera, of Live Art
• Raffles, including a poster donated by renowned photographer Clyde Butcher
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