Get involved with Earth Day - volunteer today
Reflecting the slogan, "Every Day is Earth Day," SDED hosts
projects year-round to educate, preserve, protect and restore the environment.
And it all depends on you.
by Kari Gray
s this the year for you to get involved with San Diego
Earth Day? Are you ready to Plan it for the Planet? We can show you how
to make a difference while celebrating Earth Day.
San Diego Earth Day is a non-profit organization dedicated
to a clean, healthy, prosperous future. With just one full-time employee
(that's me) and one part-time youth programs coordinator (that's Julaine),
we depend entirely on volunteers - just like you - who contribute their
time throughout the year.
SDED specializes in producing events designed to educate
and inform the public about a broad range of environmental issues and to
support other non-profit environmental organizations. Our EarthFair in Balboa
Park is the largest free environmental fair in the West, produced entirely
by volunteers. We also present other events and projects throughout the
year, including the Youth Earth Savers Festival in October, the Community
Renewal & Restoration Project in November, organic farm tours and natural
food events.
The best way to learn what we're up to and how you can
participate is to attend one of our volunteer introduction meetings. Our
next meeting is:
Wednesday, April 10 @ 7pm
Santa Fe Room
Balboa Park Club, Balboa park
(near the Automotive Museum)
We'll show you the cool Earth Day slide show and tell
you about our current projects. Here are a few:
- EarthFair '96, held on Sunday, April 21 in Balboa Park. Whether you
assist for a few hours or all day, you can assist more than 200 environmental
organizations get the word out to the 50,000 San Diegans who will attend.
Help set up and manage the Park's largest annual event!
- Your group, class or club can march in the All Species Earth Parade
at the EarthFair. Dress up as your favorite species (plant or animal) using
recycled or reused materials.
- Have your group build a Humanitree by writing promises for the environment
on paper "leaves" and then attaching them to a real or constructed
tree. Or, bring them to the EarthFair to be part of the Humanitree Forest
at the Organ Pavilion.
- If you have an environmental message, product or service, you can
become an exhibitor at the EarthFair.
- Become part of the Campaign for Sustainable Food Choices, an ongoing
project of SDED and Mother's and Others for a Liveable Planet. The purpose
of the project is to educate citizens about the benefits of organic produce.
We also work to encourage local food stores to stock organic produce.
- Project Restoration hosts periodic events to restore and clean up
sensitive and endangered habitats throughout San Diego County. Participants
at these intensive, hands-on workdays perform tasks such as removal of non-native
vegetation, litter removal, trail restoration and water quality testing.
For more information about any of the above projects,
or to request an EarthFair Exhibitor Application, call (619) 496-6666. Start
today to make every day Earth Day!
