Earth Day celebration to highlight water environmental issues
Palm Beach State College at Palm Beach Gardens will highlight environmental issues associated with water at its 7th annual Earth Day celebration April 12-14.
The three-day celebration features speakers, a night of stargazing and an outdoor festival with more than 15 vendors and exhibits aimed to educate students and the community to “Recycle, Repurpose and Renew.” All events are free and open to the public.
The celebration kicks off April 12 and 13 with “Earth Talks” featuring local experts who will present on such topics as pasture-raised poultry farming in Okeechobee, algae systems and the sea level rise in south Florida. Gabe Maul, an associate project engineer from MWH Global, will discuss ultraviolet light disinfection for water treatment in West Palm Beach.
The Earth Day activities will continue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 14 with a festival at the campus amphitheater. It will include food, music and giveaways. Later that day, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., the South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association will be on hand for star gazing at the baseball field behind the BioScience Technology Complex.
New this year is a goal to have no waste at the festival April 14.
“We are aiming for a zero waste event this year, meaning none of the waste generated during the event will go to a landfill,” said Melissa Corichi, a member of the campus sustainability committee who is coordinating the effort with students in the Level 10 club. “We are going to encourage recycling and composting it instead.”
Among the vendors are the Florida Engineering Society, Sierra Club, South Florida Water Management District, Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County and other eco-friendly businesses and organizations.
The campus held its first celebration in 2010, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which is officially celebrated April 22.
In addition to the events on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, the Lake Worth campus will hold an event to celebrate Earth Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 19 outside of the student activities center lounge where students and employees can come and create their own terrariums.
For more details about the Palm Beach Gardens Earth Day celebration and a list of the vendors, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/events/Earth-Day
