Written by Christina Nutile, Program Manager, Baltimore Green Week

The 7th Annual Baltimore Green Week is nearly a week away! I say this as we continue to iron out the details making last minute phone calls, finalizing all of the orders and checking off the three-page list of things to do before Friday.   Having done this for a few years now, you would think it gets easier.  On the contrary, the green movement is moving faster than ever and keeping track of all of the enviro-focused happenings here in Baltimore is both exciting and a challenge.

Baltimore Green Week promotes a mix of local community actions and sustainable businesses; in addition, it offers public programming that educates on environmental and health issues as well as ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle.  We cover a broad range of issues in the hope of connecting topics such as supporting local farmers, decreasing dependency on chemicals, and improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

An organic taster of Baltimore Green Week, 2010:

EcoFest is our annual Green Week kick off event. An outdoor festival, yes, typical hawking of wares, no! If trying new things and experiencing new ways to look at something old interests you than look no further. The EcoFest offers attendees a chance to try your hand at yoga, take a bike ride around the reservoir, learn about beekeeping and taste a little home grown honey, you can help build a bamboo hut or sit back under the cherry blossoms listening to local music. EcoFest truly offers a place for different people, from various backgrounds, to come together and experience what is happening in Baltimore. Druid Hill Park, 12-6 p.m., April 17th

If you are human then take a look! Our need for chemical reform is not often discussed unless the campaign focus is on ridding baby bottles of BPA (Bisphenol A) or talking about the cancerous effects of pthalates in our shampoos. What you rarely hear is that the bill governing the chemical industry is 34 years old and has never been updated. What’s worse is the thought that of the 62,000 chemicals being used today only 200 of them are required to have testing. We have invited Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Director, Andy Igrejas to discuss what it is that we are truly up against in terms of public health and ways for citizens to make changes starting at home.

In New Orleans, they call it Friday Lunch. During Green Week, we say it is Local is What Local Does! BGW joined forces with the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance to recruit some of the most sustainable (and delicious!) restaurants to host the first ever, Baltimore Green Week food tour! From noon-4 p.m., we are hitting the road to visit with these devoted chefs and the producers who supply them while tasting their latest creations.

Baltimore Green Week is chocked full of so many different activities and opportunities that not only educate in the classroom but encourage ways of life! I hope that if you ever find yourself in Baltimore in April, you’ll look us up and join in on the celebration! Be sure to sign up on our website to receive newsletters and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

www.baltimoregreenworks.com

by John Stadelman, Dallas Earthfest
Not long ago you may have had a hard time finding many people who would name Dallas, or any Texas city for that matter, as an environmental leader. But that is all changing. Texas’ two largest cities, Dallas and Houston, lead every city in the nation in the purchase of renewable power. Dallas boasts one of the largest green fleets in nation and, most recently, has enacted a comprehensive green building policy for all commercial and residential construction.

Texans are, in a sense, natural environmentalists. They are surrounded by wildlife, rivers and lakes, and unlike most states, Texas boasts an array of geographical regions: plains, desert, mountains, coastline, prairies, the Hill Country and Pineywoods. With over 268,000 square miles of land, Texans have a lot of Earth to love.

For the past seven years, Dallas has been celebrating all it has to love with EarthFest. This annual Earth Day observance was designed as a downtown Dallas street fair and, despite its many facets and refinements, still retains this essential fun and upbeat quality in this year’s 2010 celebration.

The success of EarthFest largely comes from the collaboration of talent, expertise and specialties of the EarthFest partners who present the event - the City of Dallas, the City’s Green Dallas initiative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional 6 office, and Keep Dallas Beautiful. Each of these organizations play a specific role and all participate in decisions and overall organization. The event is funded through corporate sponsorships generated by the City of Dallas and Keep Dallas Beautiful, while EPA provides overall coordination and volunteer support.

EarthFest creates a visible environmental focal point for the city that draws the attention of media and sponsors, while providing a means of highlighting the programs, efforts, and initiatives that, on a daily basis, under gird and propel the real-life environmental progress of the city. However even as the basic vision, direction and construct of EarthFest have remained the same through the years, the event remains highly dynamic, and no two years have ever been the same.

The event takes place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in two, centrally-located and adjacent downtown Dallas plazas. The colorful banners and balloons of EarthFest, live music, many exhibits, and other amusements make it a great place for a lunch-time office outing. Over sixty environmental exhibits can be found along with food vendors, balloon artists, face painters, photo exhibits, “walking” vines and flowers (actually costumed people on stilts) and more! However, a casual walk through EarthFest may not reveal many other significant facets of this event:

• Earlier in the day, volunteer corporate clean-up crews disperse, via mass transit, to nearby schools for several hours of service work. Crews complete this activity before returning downtown to rejoin the EarthFest celebration.

• During the mid-morning hours, the Recycled Fashion Show combines high fashion with environmental awareness. This much anticipated event is always fun, creative, and features many celebrity judges. The design creations seen in the Recycled Fashion Show never fail to impress.

• School buses arrive at the start of EarthFest bringing students from many area schools. The students and their teachers have ample time to soak up the exhibits, presentations, and fun of EarthFest in a more educational mode, before the downtown audiences arrive a bit later.

• As an Earth Day centerpiece for the city, EarthFest also provides a celebratory backdrop for the presentation of recognitions and awards to many who have made Dallas a greener city throughout the year. Following a VIP reception at an adjacent facility, important initiatives and projects are highlighted formally on the EarthFest main stage typically by the Mayor and EPA Regional Administrator.

• Among the varied and diverse exhibits that fill every nook of the EarthFest plazas, a selection of exhibitors is also invited each year to highlight a particular environmental area of interest to the public. This does two things: enables EarthFest to address emerging issues and timely topics; and to invite exhibitors whose connection to the environmental health of the city, while vital, may not be readily apparent to the public. This allows EarthFest to remain fresh and relevant.

EarthFest takes place through the generous support of its sponsors whose commitment to making Dallas a greener, healthier city extends to this very public Earth Day event. Corporate interest in EarthFest has grown significantly over the years as more and more businesses seek their own environmental solutions and efficiencies, and engage more actively the green marketplace. From engineering firms to retailers, media outlets to churches, transportation authorities to recyclers, EarthFest sponsors are truly a reflection of the entire community for whom Earth Day means something special. EarthFest 2010’s presenting sponsor is Downtown Dallas, Inc.

In the years to come, EarthFest is on track to retain its dynamic character. The partners who present the annual event are daily engaged in events, programs and initiatives that will environmentally impact Dallas and ultimately lead to a greener, more sustainable future. EarthFest continues to impart real and practical meaning to the world-wide celebration of Earth Day all while imparting a larger mission and purpose for Dallas’ present and future environmental well-being.

Information on EarthFest can be found at www.GreenDallas.net

by John Batdorf, Event Manager, MI Earth Day Fest

Here I sit in a suburban apartment, an Earth Day event organizer, using my laptop powered by 80% coal-fired electrons, finishing my Chinese takeout with nothing at all organic in it, after a full day of Earth Day planning meetings that I drove to - including a 2 block drive.  For weeks, I have been working mostly inside at a desk and missing the chance to enjoy the outdoors – I even missed my annual winter trip.  The intense effort required to pull of the event is pushing me away from the behavior that I am trying to promote with the event. At this point before the event, several pounds heavier from sitting for hours a day at the computer and after a lot of unhealthy food choices, I sometimes ask myself, ‘Who am I to help produce an event that aims to help people live green?’  The event is the MI Earth Day Fest and the bigger its gets - we’re shooting for 100,000 this year - the bigger the ecological footprint. What irony. So, how do we fix the treadmill while running on it?

The first thing, I guess, is to admit that we are all in the same boat. We have choices but they are not unlimited and sometimes there is no great choice. We are all faced with powerful incentives (work, convenience, prices) that often encourage the worst choices. I get amused by the “greener than thou” bunch that complains about others while buying the latest gadget with 12% better efficiency. As William McDonough says, even if you are more efficient, you are still headed in the wrong direction, just slower.

The truth is that we can make better choices in our own lives and when we choose them, we not only benefit our planet and community in some small measure, we can transform our lives. On that note, our growing festival is making some good choices - composting all the food and serving-ware on-site, using waste oil biodiesel in the generators, limiting paperwork, and otherwise reducing its footprint. Still, we have a big event and a big footprint. Just having people show up in a town without real mass transit results in some major carbon tonnage.

I have to admit that I don’t have the full answer. Part of it, I would say, is the 12 step approach of focusing on progress, not perfection. And, also to have some humility about the difficult situation we have inherited. So who am I to help produce a major green event? …someone who wants to be a part of the solution and sincerely feels that this effort makes a positive impact. That’s the best I can come up with. Back to work…

by Megan Gibson, Nevada EcoNet

Northern Nevada is gearing up for a celebration like no other! This 21st annual event will bring together some of the best green businesses and organizations from the area to promote sustainability. The celebration will be held April 25th at Idlewild Park from 10am – 5pm. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store:

Local bands will be on hand providing musical entertainment.

A farmers market will be packed with some of the best produce from nearby farms for you to purchase.

The kid’s tent will feature interactive booths to teach our youth about green living.

An array of vendors will be out and about sharing the latest in green products and services and dishing up some delicious treats.

And, don’t miss our new event this year, Walk for Green Education. Nevada EcoNet has partnered with Sierra Nevada Journeys to bring an educational walk to the event. All donations earned through the walk will go toward enhancing environmental education in Northern Nevada.

As always, Earth Day is a Zero Waste event. We’ll have compost and recycle bins on site and all food and drink will be served in compostable or biodegradable containers.

Be sure to visit NevadaEcoNet.org to find out more about this year’s Earth Day event. We can’t wait to see you on April 25th!

Written by Lynn Beha, Earth Day Omaha

The past couple of years in Omaha have really seen a surge in the popularity of green issues, and businesses and organizations here have begun to step up to some important environmental challenges. The Earth Day Omaha Coalition is proud to host the largest showcase of these organizations in the region. Each year we strive to bring a variety of local bands, local foods, local exhibitors and relevant speakers to the event. But this year we knew that there was something more we could do to take Earth Day to the next level.

We’re excited to partner with a local non-profit bike shop to host a bicycle parking lot, to encourage event visitors to ride their bikes to the event rather than drive. This is a big step in a very car-friendly town, and we’re hoping to see the cycling emphasis lead to more two-wheeled traffic.

We’re also excited to have located (after much searching) some bio-diesel generators to power our stages and food vendors. The Omaha Biofuels Co-op is generously donating a bio-diesel blend to the event, so that we can run a little more green this year.

Now we just have our fingers crossed that the Nebraska weather doesn’t bring us anything particularly icky, so that we can have a fun and beautiful event!

For more information check out http://www.earthdayomaha.com

One Earth. . . One Day. . . For Georgia.. . Is the EarthShare of Georgia Earth Day mantra! EarthShare of Georgia was founded in 1992 as the Environmental Fund for Georgia by fifteen of our environmental member organizations to fundraise for them in employee giving campaigns. We now have more than 60 organizations we support in Georgia, and EarthShare fundraises for more than 400 organizations in the nation and the world.

Like our organization, our Earth Day events had a humble beginning as a small intimate gathering of friends in t-shirts and Birkenstocks to celebrate Earth Day and the accomplishments of our organizations. In 2010, we have three key Earth Day events Presented by Kaiser Permanente and more than 50 incredible sponsors. Our Corporate Green Day Challenge is on Saturday, April 17 with more than 800 corporate volunteers at 25 locations throughout Atlanta and beyond. This will be the 14th year for our Earth Day Party, on Wednesday, April 21, 7-10 pm, and we have a fun historic venue called Opera, and expect more than 300 guests to enjoy cocktails, music and our fabulous Eco-silent auction. Now in its 8th year, our Earth Day Leadership Breakfast will be held at the Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium, with eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium. Fresh organic fare will be provided by Wolfgang Puck Catering and Whole Foods Market. The 2010 keynote speaker is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, is Seth Goldman, Co-founder, President and TeaEO of Honest Tea.

We hope that our Earth Day events bring environmental awareness to the business community that we serve, and that all of our marketing efforts surrounding ESGA during Earth Month will benefit us and our member groups throughout the year!

You can learn more at www.earthsharega.org

Blog contributed by Elizabeth Patrick of EarthShare of Georgia.

Certain Earth symbols, that are traditionally associated with Chinese culture, can help students better visualize environmental concepts. For example, the Chinese symbols for earth, water, and fire convey an in depth understanding of the complexities of nature through the imagery of energy, power, and beauty. The Embassy of the United States in Beijing, in collaboration with U.S. Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shenyang, is also looking to engage youth around the environment by organizing a contest that encourages Chinese youth to express a deepened environmental understanding. The contests will help students reduce their ecological impact through a photography contest (high school) and a carbon reduction contest (university).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words- so what does a picture of our current environment say about us? In a photography contest, secondary school children in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Shenyang will attempt to express the theme of human ‘excess’ in their communities through a single image. With the help of Roots and Shoots, a non-profit organization based in China, submissions will be judged and a winner will be chosen to take home the grand prize - a tour of the US Embassy in Beijing!

These images will also inspire their university counterparts in the Carbon Reduction Challenge. Participating students will adopt carbon reducing habits through a series of small lifestyle changes, each counting for a series of points. Participants are encouraged to get creative in what they do; whether it be planting trees, organizing campus wide clean ups or finding ‘greener’ ways of commuting to school- the goal is to accumulate the most points and GO GREEN!

Earth Day Network wishes all Chinese contestants good luck- and encourages youth around the world to ‘go green’ for Earth Day 2010!

Contributed by Kate Douglas and Katherine Williams

Earth Day Network’s Ecological Footprint Calculator, an interactive online quiz tool, provides a fun and educational way to analyze your impact on the Earth and determine how many planets it takes to support your lifestyle. The Ecological Footprint is a resource accounting tool that measures how much biologically productive land and sea is used by a given population or activity, compared to how much land and sea is available. Productive land and sea areas support human demands for food, fiber, timber, energy, and space for infrastructure. These areas also absorb the waste products from the human economy. The Ecological Footprint measures the sum of these areas, wherever they physically occur on the planet.

Currently supporting data for users from the United States, Canada, Australia and Switzerland, with other countries on the way, you can take this quiz on your own, with your family or with students to learn about your impact on the Earth and what you can do to reduce your footprint. Read more about the calculator tool and get tips for reducing your footprint.

Teachers, be sure to check out Earth Day Network’s multidisciplinary Bobbie Bigfoot curriculum unit to teach your students about sustainability, ecological footprints and more! Hundreds of other lesson plans and other educational resources can be found at www.earthday.org/education.

March 18th has come and gone and with it the first of many Green Hour, happy hour events that Earth Day Network is coordinating. This first Green Hour took place at The Vrandenburg Café in The Phillips Collection Museum at 1600 21th St, NW in Washington, D.C.. Featuring many organic wines, beers, and cocktails, Vrandenburg Café also boasts a beautiful outdoor deck that was filled for most of the evening. Earth Day Network employees were on hand to inform customers about the upcoming events Earth Day Network will be sponsoring while at the same time registering volunteers for the events on the mall.

This was also a great opportunity for employees of Earth Day Network to get to know each other a little better. Whether it was guessing each others ages (always guess younger than you actually think) or posing for pictures holding cocktail glasses filled with nuts, everyone had a great time, which was only enhanced by the gorgeous weather.

The next Green Hour event will be taking place once again at Vrandenburg Café, this Thursday, March 25th from 5-8pm. Come speak with Earth Day Network’s friendly staff, have an organic drink (I recommend the Blueberry-Lavender Martini), and sign up to volunteer at one of Earth Day’s amazing events on the National Mall the week of April 17th.

Blog post written by Ryan Trachtenberg, Earth Day Network Intern

For the month of April, Earth Day Network along with other partners have created a program to raise community awareness about ongoing efforts in the food industry to help the environment. Appropriately titled “Green Hours,” participating restaurants and bars will be highlighting organic and sustainable food and drinks. In addition to helping out our environment costumers will also be donating to Earth Day Network. For each drink bought during the Green Hour, $1 will be given to Earth Day Network. And at participating locations, anyone who donates $25 will receive a voucher redeemable for a drink. Local and sustainable foods will also be served at many of the participating restaurants throughout March and April so keep an eye out for menus highlighting these eco-friendly dishes. Earth Day Network staff will be at all events so make sure to say hi and ask them any questions about Earth Day events and how you can get involved.

The program starts this week with the first Green Hour at The Vrandenburg Cafe by FoodArts located in The Phillips Collection Museum on the next two Thursdays, March 18 and 25 from 5pm – 8pm. It is located at 1600 21^th St, NW in Washington, D.C. The Vrandburg Cafe will be serving a range of organic wines, beers, and cocktails as well as some local and organic appetizers. Their wine distributor will also be on hand to discuss sustainable wine production. So come stop by for some drinks and conversation while supporting sustainable food and preparing for Earth Day 2010, our 40^th Anniversary.

Blog written by Mike Szopa, Earth Day Network Intern.