Your Official Guide
April 21st
in Forsyth Park www.EarthDaySavannah.org
Earth Day 2012
is proudly sponsored by:
Savannah Earth Day Festival 2012 Since Earth Day started in 1970, largely as a response to the cumulative effects of industrialization reaching a critical point in our environment, it has become a day for our community to remember how we effect our planet and each other with the choices we make in our everyday lives. It’s a day to open our eyes to new issues, open our minds to new solutions, and to celebrate— celebrate the good work being done in around us, and the almost 10,000 of our neighbors who turn out in a show of hope for our community’s path for the future. So much in our city looks back at the past, at the ingenuity and leadership of those who built Savannah. Earth Day is when we turn that perspective to the future and support and learn from those sources of ingenuity and leadership around us today, who are committed to creating a sustainable community that will thrive today, and tomorrow. Environmentalism is more than ’10 Easy Tips’ or a political agenda, or a bumper sticker—it’s demanding our children have a healthy place to grow, our businesses will have the resources they need in the future, and the ecosystems we live amongst flourish. It’s with this in mind that every spring we invite the city to come together to open dialogues and build partnerships between citizens, non-profits, businesses, and government that will benefit us all. For the past 12 years the City, along with our community partners, have been hosting a free Earth Day event for the public. It has become the largest public Earth Day event in the state and remains one of the few earth day festivals left in the country that truly focus on education rather than just crafts and entertainment. Earth Day Savannah offers a little something for everyone—from those familiar with the issues, to those just starting to learn. With workshops for adults and kids and nearly 100 exhibiting organizations, you’ll find ways to connect and make change.
Schedule of Events RecycleRama 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Clear your clutter at the drive-thru! This year RecycleRama will be accepting: Waste Cooking Oil Human & Pet Unused & Expired Medications Paint Batteries Electronics Tires Clothes, Shoes, & Misc. Items for Goodwill
Forsyth Farmer’s Market 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, honey, bread, pasta, and more. Come meet your local farmers and get to know where your food comes from.
Sustainable Urban Living Workshops details on next page
11:00 AM Beehive Keeping 101 12:00 PM Grow Mushrooms 12:00 PM Solar for your Home 12:30 PM Organic Food 1:00 PM Backyard Chickens 1:30 PM Wind Energy 1:30 PM Composting 2:00 PM What is Slow Food? 2:30 PM Companion Planting
Kid’s Activities details on next page
11:00 AM 11:30 PM 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM 2:00 PM 2:30 PM
Story Time Mammals & Birds of Prey Songs & Stories Reptiles of Georgia Veggie Costume Contest Mammals & Birds of Prey Cordage Making
Visit www.earthdaysavannah.org to view the list of exhibitors, music schedule, and event map! Join us on Facebook!
Sustainable Urban Living Workshops Beekeeping for Beginners
Organic Food: Healthier for Earth & Humans with SUGA 12:30-1:00 PM We hear a lot these days about organic foods. David-Tree Malpass of Savannah Urban Garden Alliance will help you understand what organic means, what are its costs and benefits, and what it means for our health and our planet. www.sugacentral.org
with CEBA 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Looking to make your backyard a little sweeter? Come learn the basics of beekeeping with the bee experts and demonstration hive from the Coastal Empire Beekeper’s Association. Learn how to set up your own hive, keep your queen happy, and enjoy the honey! www.cebeekeeping.com
Backyard Chickens with Sandy Creek
Growing Mushrooms with SUGA
Farm 1:00-1:30 PM
12:00-12:30 PM
If you’ve got a case of coop envy, now’s your chance to learn what it takes to keep backyard chickens. From what kind of coop, to how much room, and the best breeds, local chicken breeder Suzanne Bailey will help get you started.
With the right logs and a little knowledge you could be growing shitake mushrooms in your backyard. Kelly Lockamy of Savannah Urban Garden Alliance will guide a hands-on lesson in inoculating and caring for shitake logs. www.sugacentral.org
Solar for Your Home with CSPC
12:00-1:00 PM
Interested in learning more about solar power and how it could fit into your home? Brad Sherman of Coastal Solar Power Company will lay out some of your options and how to make them work for you. Then find out how to make the most of tax credits and incentives! www.coastalsolar.com
Offshore wind in Georgia with SACE
1:30-2:00 PM
Georgia may have up to 14,500 megawatts of developable offshore wind potential—enough to provide a third of the state’s electricity. For every 1,000 megawatts of wind energy, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that Georgia could annually save 1,628 million gallons of water and 3 million tons of carbon dioxide. Based on studies on the European
Sustainable Urban Living Workshops Offshore Wind Continued - offshore wind workforce, each megawatt of offshore wind energy could support 20 jobs. Come learn more about offshore wind in Georgia with Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s Anna Cayce Smit.
www.cleanenergy.org
Composting with Grow.Eat.Repeat.
1:30-2:00 PM
Want to turn your kitchen scraps into nutrient rich soil for your garden? Composting can seem intimidating to some folks, but local compost guru Andy Schwartz of Grow.Eat.Repeat will send you away motivated, confident, and well prepared to start composting at home. Starting from the basics, learn different ways of composting—including worm bins— and how to use your compost and compost tea for fertilizing and disease control.
www.grow-eat-repeat.com What is Slow Food? with Slow Food
Savannah 2:00-2:30 PM
Join Slow Food Savannah to discuss ways that the food choices we make on an individual basis directly affect the overall health of the planet. The discussion will cover the personal and environmental impacts of shipping food over long distances, as well as highlight benefits of purchasing local, sustainable foods.
www.slowfoodsavannah.wordpress.com Companion Planting with Skidaway
Farms 2:30-3:00 PM
Many backyard gardeners don’t want to use pesticides, but aren’t sure how to keep away pests and have a healthy garden without them. Janet Waldie of Skidaway Farms will teach you how to use companion planting strategies to easily keep disease and harmful insects out of your garden! www.skidawayfarms.net
Mammals and Birds of Prey with
Oatland Island Wildlife Center
11:30-12:00 PM
Join some of Oatland Island’s furry and feathered friends and learn about Georgia’s mammals and birds of prey. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and meet these animals. We only have space for 30 kids, so get there early! www.oatlandisland.org
Songs and Stories with Hawk Hurst
12:00-1:00 PM
Hawk Hurst’s storytelling performances dynamically bring the wonders and wisdom of ancient cultures to life—fun-filled and highly educational, with lots of audience participation. Come listen to stories and songs about how our ancestors came to value and respect the diversity of the natural world around them. Great for younger kids!
www.hawkhurstflutes.com Reptiles of Georgia with Burton 4H
Center 1:00-1:30 PM
No need to go turning over logs in the woods, Burton 4H Center on Tybee will have a variety of Georgia’s scaliest residents for you to meet! We only have space for 30 kids, so get there early. www.burton4h.org
Veggie Costume Making & Contest
with Forsyth Farmers’ Market & West Broad St. YMCA 1:30-2:00 PM Who wouldn’t want to dress up as a beet, parade around, and win some prizes? Materials and veggie wisdom will be provided, bring your own creativity! www.forsythfarmersmarket.org; www.westbroadstymca.org
Mammals and Birds of Prey with
Oatland Island Wildlife Center
2:00-2:30 PM
Kid’s Activities
Join some of Oatland Island’s furry and feathered friends and learn about Georgia’s mammals and birds of prey. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and meet these animals. We only have space for 30 kids, so get there early! www.oatlandisland.org
Story Time with Live Oak Public
Cordage making with Hawk Hurst
Library 11:00-11:30 PM
Start your Earth Day off right with LOPL librarians sharing their favorite children’s stories about our earth and environment, and get excited about all you’ll see at the festival! Great for younger kids!
www.liveoakpl.org
2:30-2:30 PM
Using natural plant fibers, you will learn the ancient art of cordage, or rope making, to create a bracelet or necklace, using stone pigments to dye them!
www.hawkhurstflutes.com