With the onset of spring finally kicking into gear it’s time to pause and take a few moments to think about the current and future condition of our planet. Sounds lofty, yes, but essential nonetheless, as we still haven’t found a way curb dependence on fossil fuels, or make alternative forms of energy truly viable, and make every home and business green.
Kathy Mattea / Photo: Russ Harrington
On Wednesday, April 22, the global community will take stock of those issues and more in celebration of Earth Day. Closer to home, Earth Day festivities got an early start on the National Mall this week with musical performances by diverse musical artists like the Flaming Lips, Los Lobos, and DJ Spooky.
Organizers say this year’s Earth Day marks the start of “The Green Generation Campaign,” (www.earthday.net/greengeneration) a two-year effort that ends with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. The Green Generation is a challenge to all of us to individually and collectively improve our health, to make our schools better, and to help tackle some of the looming issues that impact all of us, such as climate change and the world’s water crisis.
Throughout the region, a number of events are taking place to educate people and encourage them to get involved. Here’s a sample:
At the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, NASA has teamed up with director and violinist Kenji Williams to present “Bella Gaia,” (Beautiful Earth) that features a multimedia journey of the planet from space. The program will be presented to students and teachers around the world during two webcasts on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT. See www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO
Bowie State University will host an Earth Day program on Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the Center for Learning and Technology room 102. The event will feature presentations and discussions on ways to reduce pollution and energy consumption.
The University of Maryland presents “Earth Day: Creative Dialogues - Living in Our Landscape,” Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Recital Hall. Ecologist Andrew Baldwin moderates this discussion with country music star Kathy Mattea, Adrian Zelski from the sustainability conscious dub/reggae band Dubconscious and Brian Allenby from Reverb, a non-profit that has helped green over 60 concerts and 1,000 events with groups like The Dave Matthews Band and Maroon 5. This special Earth Day 2009 conversation will explore the many ways in which artists are addressing the environmental crisis and finding their own ways to live in our landscape.
The National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel hosts "Earth Walk," on April 29 from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Become one with nature during a guided "sense-sational" hike and learn about the ecology of Patuxent Research Refuge using your five senses. For more information, go to www.patuxent.fws.gov.
-- PGS Staff
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