|
Celebrating
Gaia: Earth Day 200
4
Article
and photos by Kathryn Sargent
 It's
April again, and could there possibly be a more perfect time to
celebrate Earth Day? After months of winter weather, the redbuds
have bloomed, the dogwoods are in their glory, and azaleas riot
under pine trees in the South. Life in all its wondrous cycle
of renewal reminds us that hope is eternal and change is always
around the corner. We've stayed indoors until we can hardly
bear it, and just in time, here's spring with its seductive
warm breezes and cheery sunshine.
So how shall we celebrate Earth Day and recognize all that Mama
Gaia does for us? Ah, there are so many ways!
Georgia Tech held a contest to determine a theme for their
annual celebrations and Jennifer Beattie won with her suggestion,
“Earth Matters.” The Georgia Tech festivities will be
held on Friday, April 23rd, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the
Skiles Walkway and the Georgia Tech Plaza. Tech has been celebrating
Earth Day since 1998, and while they had not yet posted a schedule
of this year's events on their website at this writing (early
March), there is a gallery of last year's event photos. See
www.earthday.gatech.edu/photos-2003.html
for photos of musicians performing, a tree planting, exhibits,
food booths, an environmental forum, and a Macy's parade-style,
giant balloon mascot.
On
a serious note, The Primate Freedom Project will host speaker
Ingrid Newkirk, founder and president of PETA (People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for World Week for Animals
in Laboratories 2004 at Georgia State University's Veteran's
Hall (in the Alumni Hall Building) on April 23-24, 2004. For information,
email info@primatefreedom.com
or see http://petaatlanta2004.com.
Show your support for animals who have spent their lives in confinement,
sufffering at the hands of researchers.
For
a clearing house of Earth Day information, it would be hard to
beat Earth Day Network's website at www.earthday.net.
They host a variety of campaigns which give you choices of how
active you'd like to be in helping preserve the environment.
With the Water of Life Campaign, you can learn how the world's
children are affected by the world's water crisis; how to
tell the quality of your own household drinking water; and how
corporations can compete to conserve water and reinvest in community
development. Under the Campaign for Communities, you'll be
urged to vote and you'll find a listing of Earth Day 2004
events. The Ongoing Programs include Community Environmental Health
(ways to take action to protect the health of your family and
community) and Programs for Planting Trees and Car Free Days.
 One
of the neatest features of this web site is Measure Your Ecological
Footprint, a quiz that assesses your own personal impact on the
environment. Think you live lightly upon the earth? Think again!
You'll be shocked at how much you could still do to lessen
your own damage to the environment, even if you're a religious
recycler.
The Earth Day Network calendar of events includes the following
listings for Georgia, USA. You can input your state or country
and find listings for your own local Earth Day events.
Mother Earth Day Festival
5343 Roberts Drive
Dunwoody, GA 30338
29 Apr. 2004
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.4
School groups and families are invited to come and participate
in activities, crafts, hikes, and games to learn how they can
be a part of helping keep the earth green. Educators and organizations
from all around metro Atlanta come together to provide fun and
learning to all. Programs open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and registration
is required.
Party in the Park
Glenwood Park
(I-20 and Glenwood Connector)
Atlanta, GA USA
24 Apr. 2004
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.4
Join us for the 8th annual Party in the Park and Silent Spring
Auction to celebrate Earth Day. The party will be held at
Glenwood Park in east Atlanta, the new sustainable development
by Green Street Properties. Get this first look at the innovative
earth-friendly concept, partake in delicious food and beverages,
swoon to Delta Moon. $50/person. RSVP
www.earthsharega.org
Green Day
various locations
GA
17 Apr. 2004
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.4
 A
morning of volunteering for Georgia's environment. Corporate
teams will participate across the state to “Do Just One Thing
For Earth Day.” Clean up parks, litter removal, tree care,
wetlands preservation and more. Event organized by Earth Share
of Georgia.
Another great source of Earth Day information is the Envirolink
online environmental community at http://earthday.envirolink.org.
Their site features a history of Earth Day (most of these sites
do), an organizer's guide, an Earth Day 2004 Calendar, and
a space to add your event. They have been offering this service
since 1991.
One of the most fun events they feature is The Annual Gowanus
Earth Day Flotilla Spring Clean-up in Brooklyn, NY. On April
24, 2004, divers, community volunteers, and participating organizations
launch their paddle craft and use nets to collect floating debris
in a historic canal which is under restoration. They'll be
served free food and “infotainment”. For information
on this event, contact urbandivers@urbandivers.org
and see www.urbandivers.org
Portland, Oregon really pulls out all the stops for their Earth
Day 2004 celebrations. They held a highly successful Massage fundraiser,
and the events scheduled include: three stages of live music;
over sixty green vendors and organizations; grand opening of the
student-built water garden bio-filtration project; a carnival-style
parade led by the Lions of Batucada Samba Marching Band; The Friends
of Trees yard tree giveaway; The Kids' Village with
crafts, storytelling, and puppets; a walking labyrinth; The Better
Transportation Fair (alternative energy vehicles); a local farmer's
market ... and much, much more. For complete information, see
www.cityrepair.org/earthday
Environmental Organizations
Joining
a local environmental organization is one of the best ways to
find your passion and become an activist for Mama Earth. One of
the oldest in Georgia is The Georgia Conservancy. Founded
in 1967, the Georgia Conservancy offers a wide range of educational
programs, outings that range from canoe trips through the Okefenokee
Swamp, to birding, to spending a weekend on Georgia's barrier
island, Sapelo, and opportunities to volunteer and make a difference
in preserving Georgia's wild lands and wild life.
For information on the Georgia Conservancy, call 404.876.2900
or email mail@gaconservancy.org,
or see their web site at www.gaconservancy.org.
 The
Georgia chapter of The Sierra Club, at http://georgia.sierraclub.org,
offers a wealth of information on environmental issues in Georgia.
They've recently started a Sierra Club and Beer monthly gathering,
which had 150 attendees for its premiere in February. They get
into some issues not normally addressed on some web sites, like
the effects of landfill gas and the EPA's delay of smog reduction
measures in Georgia. The Sierra Club also offers outings like
hikes in Cloudland Canyon, camping trips, kayaking and canoeing
trips, service trips, and more. There are plenty of opportunities
to join campaigns and get actively involved.
Georgia Wildlife Federation began as a sportsman's
organization in 1936 and has become one of the state's largest
environmental organizations. It is the state affiliate of the
National Wildlife Federation and its members include bird watchers,
hunters, fishermen, educators, gardeners and hikers. The
goal of their diverse membership is to protect Georgia's tremendous
natural beauty and diversity. The Georgia Wildlife Federation
holds 4 annual tradeshows which provide significant funding for
our conservation education programs. Every spring, the Georgia
Wildlife Federation hosts its Annual Shoot for Conservation. This
registered sporting clay shoot draws men and women from across
the Southeast to compete in a fun and competitive shoot. They
also have a family day for Georgia's Handicapped Sportsmen,
a deerhunt for wheelchair-using hunters, and a Rivers Alive river
clean up held annually in the fall. See their web site at www.gwf.org
There are more environmental organizations in Georgia than we
have the space to list, but for more information, be sure to check
out the extensive listings on www.buckhead.org/environment.
Many of the local group listings on this site have links back
to national parent organizations, so find your state's or
country's local group and get involved!
Enviro-Friendly Gift Giving
 My
friend Laurie Sue and I have been working for months on our Feng
Shui space clearing project, dubbed The Bulldozer Project when
I said it would take a bulldozer to clear my clutter! We've
become very sensitive to the whole idea of limiting the stuff
we bring into our homes or give as gifts. If you are in the same
boat, I'd like to offer some ideas for alternative - and environmentally
friendly – gift giving!
I'll never forget my first experience of seeing a manatee.
Ken and I were on a camping vacation in Florida, and early one
morning we stopped beside a river to explore. We had no idea we
of what we were about to see! Just peering down into the amazingly
clear water, we expected to see fish. Imagine our surprise when
we saw the gigantic form of a manatee instead!
Manatees are the most gentle, peaceful animals I can imagine.
They are in peril in Florida, however, and they are often scarred
by close encounters with boat motors and keels. Their numbers
are limited, too, as their habitat decreases due to overpopulation
by humans and by endless development.
In a unique program, the Save The Manatees organization
offers you the opportunity to adopt a manatee! Begun in 1981 by
former Florida governor Bob Graham and singer songwriter Jimmy
Buffet, this club offers a unique opportunity to get to know manatees.
You can learn their names, their individual appearances, their
family relationships, and where they usually hang out. And the
money you contribute toward their adoption goes toward protecting
them and their habitats. They also have a gift catalog and proceeds
help the manatees, too. Save the Manatees has volunteer opportunities
and outings, too. See their web site at www.savethemanatee.org
or 1.800.432.JOIN (5646).
The Arbor Day Foundation is perfect for those of us who
love trees. You can find out when Arbor Day is celebrated around
the world and learn more than you ever dreamed about trees by
joining this organization. National Arbor Day is the last Friday
in April, but different states and countries celebrate it on various
days. You can get ten free trees just by joining and they have
an online tree store for gift giving. The web site details ways
to give trees in memory of loved ones, in celebration, and as
legacies. They also sell Rain Forest Rescue Coffee and detail
ways to support Rain Forest Rescue. There is a tree guide to help
you identify your trees. Find out more at www.arborday.org
One
of the best gifts I ever received was from my friend Lisa, who
gave me a gift card informing me that a poor family in a third
world country had received a buffalo in my name! Heifer International
is the very original organization that arranges this service.
You can go online, pick the farm animal you'd like to give
to a poor family, and buy it in the name of the person you're
gifting. You can choose rabbits, chickens, goats, cows, sheep,
buffalos, pigs, ducks, geese, llamas, and trees. These animals
mean self reliance for families all over the world. When they
are bred, they can be sold, their milk and eggs consumed, and
their fur can be spun and woven. They bring economic stability
to families that may be desparate. Americans have so much and
they consume far more than their share of the earth's resources.
Helping families in other countries find their own economic independence
is vital to world peace and stability. Share your abundance: this
is truly a gift that keeps on giving, and you can choose yours
at http://catalog.heifer.org/index.cfm
 Give
the bounty of nature by assembling a gift basket of fruits and
vegetables from your local farmers' market. Be sure to include
local honey (good for you!), jams, jellies, and preserves. Top
it off with handmade beeswax candles and you've got a lovely
natural gift that will please the senses!
For gifts made of recycled products, check out The Natural
Living Store at www.naturallivingstore.com.
This store promotes environmental and economic responsibility
as a way of life. Specializing in eco-conscious, fairly traded
products for home and personal use, they offer non-toxic, environmentally
friendly products which are safe for humans and their pets. They
are actively involved in supporting non-profit organizations whose
work focuses on ensuring the rights and well-being of humans,
animals, and the natural world. You can find handbags, jewelry,
baby products, household products and cleaners, garden gear, and
more and know that you are using recycled products and that benefits
the earth.
So grab your cameras and sketch pads, your tents and bikes, and
get out there and enjoy spring on Earth Day! When you see new
buds on trees and flowers opening, butterflies and hummingbirds
returning, remember just how precious the Earth is to you. Here's
hoping that all of these ideas from dedicated Earth Day volunteers
will inspire each and every one of us to get out and do one special
thing to honor the Earth. She's our home, after all!
Kathryn
Sargent is a writer, photographer and artist, and the editor of Aquarius.
Contact her at aquarius-editor@mindspring.com.
|
Gaia
