Did you know that Earth Day is coming up?
Here in Middle Tennessee there is a free Nashville Earth Day Festival all day long in celebration of the holiday, and I’d bet there’s one close to you as well.
In fact, EarthDay.org provides a search feature to locate Earth Day events near you!
If you happen to read certain websites or watch certain TV shows, you’ve no doubt heard of Earth Day and already knew that it was coming up.
But what is Earth Day? Why do we celebrate it? How much fun can a person actually have at an Earth Day festival or party?
Let’s find out…
Earth Day History and Fun Facts
We recognize Earth Day every year as it marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement… that started in 1970.
What? You didn’t think the Green conversation just started 5 or 10 years ago did you? If you did think that, don’t feel bad, I did too until about a month ago.
Please allow me to share some Earth Day History with you from EarthDay.org:
“Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.” “It was a gamble,” he recalls, “but it worked.”
The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.
Sen. Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.”
In 1990, Earth Day went global.
In 2000 the celebration began utilizing the Internet in its grass routes campaign.
The rest, as they say, is history.
So, blah blah blah. History, history, history.
What is an Earth Day festival and how do you avoid the hippies and tree huggers?
Luckily for us all, the environmental crowd is actually quite far from those stereotypes.
The Nashville Earth Day Festival will include:
- Food Vendors: Ricky’s Hot Dogs, DH & H Snow cones, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, and more.
- Informative and Interactive Workshops: Introduction to Organic Farming, the What and Why of Local, The Importance of Community Gardens, and many more.
- Entertainment and Children’s activities: Trash Art Fashion Show, Rodney Crowell with Lee Roy Parnell, Jen Foster, Adrienne Young and Little Sadie, and many more.
Here in Nashville the weather is supposed be perfect and the festival is at beautiful Centennial Park. I can’t wait for some good food, great workshops, and fun times relaxing with friends and meeting new people.
What are the festivals going to be like near you?
UPDATE: Fun photos from the Nashville Earth Day festival!
I think every little step toward living green is an awesome one… but eco-snobbery sucks! My goal is to help newbies learn the most important steps toward living green — individually and collectively. Personally, I strive to have as little impact as possible on Planet Earth while I’m here.
