Earth Day celebrations set for Saturday Colleges in Unity, Bar Harbor to host musicians, experts

BAR HARBOR – Students at the College of the Atlantic have planned an Earth Day celebration for this Saturday that will knock your Earth Shoes off.

Unity College is also planning a special celebration.

“I felt that Earth Day should always be a big thing at COA, since COA is a college focused on the environment and sustainability,” Sarah Short, a first-year student from Seattle and chairwoman of the campus Committee for Sustainability, said Tuesday. “I really wanted to do something big.”

And big it is, with a jam-packed slate of events that kicks off with a sunrise ceremony and ends with the last contradance long after the sun has gone down.

This year’s celebration, the 36th since Earth Day began in 1970, is dedicated to Steve Katona, the college’s longtime president who will retire this summer. Its theme is “Living Lightly On The Earth,” and the organizers intend to practice what they preach.

“We want people to come away with ideas of how they can make home solutions regarding sustainability,” Short said. “We’re hoping to focus on the local and the community.”

Toward that end, attendees can attend a variety of talks and workshops that will help them learn about biodiesel, birdhouse building and bicycle maintenance. They also can win energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs and take their chances at a raffle for an easy home-composting system called a “Green Cone.”

A tent on the lawn will be filled with more than 40 booths from area nonprofit organizations, environmentally friendly businesses such as The Green Store of Belfast and local artists and craftspeople.

A plethora of activities for children, including the creation of a papier-mache globe, should allow youngsters to learn about the planet while they have a good time.

“I hope that kids have a chance to do some craft activities and games that are focused on reusing materials and thinking about materials differently than they might have before,” said Amy Hoffmaster, a senior from Alfred, “and also that the activities that we do will help kids feel a connection to the environment and have fun.”

American Indian flautist Hawk Henries, Zimbabwean dancer Tawanda Chabikwa and jazz drummer Salahaldin Hussein from Palestine are among the artists who will perform and lead workshops throughout the day.

Hungry bellies won’t be neglected over the course of the long Earth Day. The organizers said that organic, locally grown food will be available for sale from area restaurants during the day, and the college is offering a $4 soup-and-bread dinner.

“It’s just the community coming together,” said Craig Ten Broeck, campus director of sustainability. “We’re sharing with the larger MDI community and perhaps beyond.”