Earth Day’s GREENFest

For green living aficionados, nothing beats Earth Day, the greenest holiday of the year. Unlike most holidays that celebrate significant past events, Earth Day celebrates our future. It’s an event that is increasingly relevant to more people every year. The coolest thing about Earth Day is that people gather not only to celebrate and have fun, but to learn and share new ways of living lighter on the planet.

Earth Day is an equal opportunity holiday. Celebrated by people in countries around the world, it is truly a global event. The Earth Day Network is an excellent resource (www.earthday.org) with information about programs and events that may interest you.

Earth Day 2011 will be organized around the “Billion Acts of Green” campaign, intended to inspire and reward simple individual acts and larger organizational initiatives that further the goal of measurably reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. The goal is to register one billion actions in advance of the Earth Summit in Rio in 2012. You can visit the Billion Acts of Green website (act.earthday.org) to find out about the campaign and pledge your act to help save our planet. It’s a great way to get into the green spirit and make a difference.

Earth Day encourages us to think globally, but what about acting locally? No matter where you live, there is bound to be an Earth Day celebration near you (if not, why not create one?). Southern Nevadans have something very special to look forward to.

This year, the second annual GREENFest Earth Day festival, a community celebration and fair, takes place in the main park at the heart of Town Square in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 16^th. The free event is open to the public and will run from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. There will be lots to enjoy, including live music, green vendors, food samplings, a farmer’s market, a recycling experience, food composting, energy and water conservation tips and activities for adults and children of all ages. Last year’s GREENFest attracted several thousand residents and this year’s event is shaping up to be even bigger and more exciting.

GREENFest is presented by Nevada Energy Star Partners – Green Alliance (NVESP), Republic Services and Evergreen Recycling. Here’s just a sampling of what’s in store:

• The Green Alliance will be distributing educational pieces for the community and fun games for the family.
• Republic Services / Evergreen Recycling will provide a maze made of baled recyclables to provide some family fun. A scrolling video will show how recycling really works. They will be distributing educational material, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle wrist bands, reusable water bottles and more.
• A real recycling truck will be on display for children to explore. There will be a coloring experience available for kids and others who are young at heart. MRFY, the famous recycling robot, will be there too.
• The Keep Las Vegas Beautiful recyclable art contest will be displayed in the park for all to appreciate.
• Town Square management booth will be giving away special retailer offers for Town Square retailers.
• Whole Foods will sponsor a Farmers Market for all to enjoy and purchase fresh produce.
• Shred-It Las Vegas will provide free document destruction service on site. Patrons are encouraged to bring down their personal or business documents for secure disposal.
• Visitors can learn more about different energy efficiency programs for solar, hydro and wind power at NV Energy’s “Renewable Generations” trailer and meet the new NV Energy mascot, The Bot.
• Participate in a special environmental education tic tac toe game hosted by the Energy Services department of Southwest Gas.
• Realm of Design presents the world’s greenest architectural stone products made out of 100% recycled glass aggregates. Preview the special Green Stone collection exclusively at GreenFest and enter for a chance to win a custom designed mantel.
• Special appearances by mascot Deputy Drip will be provided by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.