Earth Day in Review
Northfield’s 5th Perennial Earth Day Celebration took place April 25 and 26. The “call to action” event kicked off with a Community Solar 101 presentation followed by a series of earth-friendly opportunities and educational resources on Saturday to learn: new skills, build self-reliance, and take part in community service – all in an effort to move toward a more sustainable future.
“There was great energy at the event,” said organizer Mary Jo Cristofaro of Transition Northfield, who witnessed a sizable crowd at this year’s celebration and was impressed with the care and compassion people obviously have in Northfield to provide a healthier environment and a giving attitude toward stewardship in our area.
Similar to the Northfield Area Climate Summit that took place earlier this year, there were all kinds of activities to do — from making your own healthy foods, creating raised gardens and eco-friendly handmade goods to talking about rising CO2 levels and its long-term impact, solar power options, and finding ways to capture rain to water your own lawn and garden. There was also a new local bike advocacy group there (BikeNorthfield) to help people tune up their cycles and learn rules of the road. Tree planting took place at Central Park. Over 130 people came together to share in a community dinner put together by the Earth Day team. All the activities were free of charge including some tree giveaways.
“Earth Day is about recognizing the impact we humans have had on the health of our planet; skyrocketing CO2 levels are not safe for any living creature. It’s about changing our actions and making a difference,” said Cristofaro. Although Earth Day comes around only once a year, it is a good reminder for all of us to take some action.
Cristofaro and others have created a Northfield Area Community Solar initiative where the community is discussing viable options in creating community solar arrays in the Northfield area. All are welcome to attend the upcoming meeting: Friday May 23rd 12:00pm- 2:30pm in Northfield Public Library community room.
For ongoing sustainability efforts in Northfield visit The Greater Northfield Sustainability Collaborative website’s at:www.northfieldsustainability.org/.
Visit Northfield Earth Day Celebration photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124525760@N04/sets/72157644233853189/