Earth Day, which began nationally and in Roanoke four decades ago, is back on April 20. The Roanoke celebration of all things green was based at several venues before finding a home in Grandin Village in the 1990’s. This year’s Earth Day again features environmental and community service displays, music, crafts, food and kid’s games, in what is billed as a “Grandin Village Street Fair for the Earth.”
Tracy Garland, a board member for Earth Day (and the publisher of Natural Awakenings magazine), says this year’s celebration (from 10am to 4pm) will “be the best year ever – very family oriented.” Garland called Earth Day a “fun, interactive forum,” and a good way to learn about greener ways of living – recycling, clean water, saving energy, green building options, and alternative forms of power generation like solar panels, etc.
All sorts of activities on Saturday, April 20 will include free music and “tons of food,” according to Garland. Children can learn how to build certain crafts; there will be hula hoops and soap bubbles to keep them busy while parents stop by the information booths that will be set up. “Of course, the main goal is advocacy and education for green living,” said Garland, who is also a member of Roanoke County’s RC CLEAR/ICLEI committee, which advocates those same goals.
Local non-profits will be on hand to let people know about resources that are currently on hand, resources that can help residents lead greener lives. There will also be handouts; the RC CLEAR booth, for instance, will have some of the energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) on hand. Just using CFLs instead of the much more inefficient incandescent bulbs can make a sizable dent in electrical bills.
Garland knows that Earth Day must walk a fine line between education and fun, and she says the Grandin Village celebration always does a good job of doing just that. “If you’re really interested in making an informed decision [about greener ways to live] its important to get out there and learn as much as you can.”
Several lectures inside of what used to be the Coda coffee house on Grandin Avenue will also provide opportunities to learn; topics to be covered are small scale, residential solar and wind power systems; a Natural Awakenings staff member will discuss local resources available to residents who want to live greener; there’s also a presentation on the dangers of uranium mining. The General Assembly has considered lifting a moratorium on that sort of mining several times over the past few years.
A movie called Are You Hungry for Change? will be shown, and a local artist will discuss changing landscapes through art and culture. (There’s more about the day’s schedule online at earthdayroanoke.com)
Garland, who earned a minor in environmental science to go along with her marketing degree, believes the tipping point is coming soon when more and more people will climb on the green living train. She notes that about 20 years ago there was little information available about green businesses or green practices.
“Since then there has been an upswell, especially in the corporate community, towards making products and services more sustainable. I think that’s in lockstep with consumer demand for products and services that are more sustainable. If we haven’t already reached the tipping point we are very close.”
A lot of pushing people towards green living and sustainability starts with teaching young children about ways to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. “I think that is really important,” said Garland. “Children are so open to new ideas…and being able to change behaviors.” That’s one big reason she noted that Earth Day is so kid and family-friendly. Garland invites everyone out to Earth Day on April 20 to find out what’s it all about.
By Gene Marrano