Apr 18, 2016
South Jersey’s largest
Earth Day event offers a full-day of environmental education and entertainment
The
Atlantic County Utilities Authority will host the 26th annual Earth
Day festival at its Environmental Park on Delilah Road in Egg Harbor Township on
Sunday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The celebration will
be held rain or shine. Admission and parking are free.
The
event includes live demonstrations, environmental-themed entertainment, workshops
throughout the day and more than 150 exhibitors.
“ACUA is very pleased to partner once again with Atlantic City Electric, South
Jersey Gas and others to put together a day-long event celebrating the
environment," said ACUA President Rick Dovey. “Bringing so many wonderful
organizations together under one umbrella for the day is a great opportunity
for visitors to connect with local organizations and understand how they can
make a difference.”
Participating environmental organizations include: the Marine Mammal Stranding
Center, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, South Jersey Fair
Trade Alliance, St. Francis Avian Rehab Center, the Atlantic City Aquarium, Sustainable
Jersey, Cape Atlantic Conservation District, Great Egg Harbor Watershed
Association, the Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Defenders of Wildlife and Conserve
Wildlife Foundation.
Each
year, Earth Day features many educational and fun events. This year, in
addition to the traditional favorites, the ACUA is excited to present:
‘Colors of the
Earth’ 5K Fun Run
For
runners of all ages and levels, the fun run begins at 8:30 a.m. Run through
bursts of colored cornstarch powder in this untimed event that emphasizes fun
over competition. The registration fee
is $20 per person and children under five are free. Please visit www.acua.com or call 272-6950 for race details.
All proceeds from the race benefit South Jersey Field of Dreams.
Free Workshops at
the Amphitheater
Native Plants for Pollinators - 11 a.m.
Speaker:
Raven Ahmed, Earth First Natives
Pollinators
need your help! Learn about some of the simple ways you can create food and
habitat for butterflies, bees and other creatures who are actually some of our
greatest allies. Native plants benefit not only these important 'pollinators' but
also provide beautiful, low maintenance landscaping that can you time, water
and money.
Permaculture - 12
p.m.
Speaker:
Jen Jennings, Certified Permaculture Designer, Remedi Earth
Looking
for a way to improve your health, finances, and the environment? Join us as we
cover the basics of permaculture and what it can do for you and your family,
community and the planet.
The Life Cycle of
Honeybees - 1 p.m.
Speaker:
Gary Schempp, Busy Bees, NJ
Learn
about the life cycle of honeybees: importance, identification, pollination,
facts and fun. View an observation hive, learn about mankind's beneficial
insect and enjoy a free tasting of pure, raw, wildflower honey!
How to Make a Rain
Barrel - 2 p.m.
Speaker:
Brigid Kane Miller, AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador
Stormwater
in NJ causes flooding and pollutes our precious waterways. Minimize the amount
of stormwater running off your property by installing a rain barrel. At this
workshop, you'll learn how to conserve water and recycle the rain with a rain
barrel.
Free Activities at
the Recycling Center
10:00
am – 4:00 pm – The Turtlesinger – live turtle presentations (2nd floor)
10:00
am – 4:00 pm – Wetlands Institute Touch Tank (1st floor)
12:00 pm– Recycle-Bowl Awards – honoring the 2015 Recycle-Bowl school participants
12:30 pm – Recycled Art Contest Awards honoring the winners of 2nd Annual Recycled Art
Contest
1:00 pm – Jungle John – Meet “Wally Gator” the
American alligator, “Larry” the boa constrictor and other “friends” at Jungle John’s
Reptile Show!
2:15 pm – Learn about raptors and reptiles with
special guests from Woodford Cedar Run
3:00 pm– Jungle John – Meet “Wally Gator” the
American alligator, “Larry” the boa constrictor and other “friends” at Jungle John’s
Reptile Show!
Craft with Home
Depot
Join
Home Depot and decorate a flower pot and plant a marigold (while supplies last)
Ride on a “Green”
Jitney!
All
shuttle service to the Wind Farm in Atlantic City will be provided by the
Atlantic City Jitney Association in their compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
Tours of the Wind Farm
Take
a tour of New Jersey’s first commercial wind farm. The CNG Jitneys will shuttle
participants to and from the wind farm from the Environmental Park in Egg
Harbor Township beginning at 10 a.m. (last shuttle at 3:15 p.m.). In addition,
tours of ACUA’s Wastewater Treatment Facility and ACUA’s solar project will be
available.
Eco Hayrides
Eco
Hayride tours, a perennial favorite, take visitors to the very top of the
landfill for panoramic views of the area, including Atlantic City and the
Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm.
Recycled Scrap
Metal Sculptures – William Clark
For
the first time, ACUA is pleased to showcase sculptures made entirely from
recycled scrap metal. The sculptures are the work of artist William Clark. Mr. Clark’s
artwork will be featured from the playground to the retiree wall area.
Other activities
and demonstrations include:
“The Magic of
Energy” Food Court Stage (12:00 and 2:00)
An
exciting, skillful and comical exploration of renewable energy resources:
Solar, Hydroelectric, Biomass, Geothermal and Wind Power. What about our trash?
Garbage can not only be recycled, it can be converted to energy! We use a
series of comedy magic & circus tricks to explode everyone’s understanding
of plasma generators, composting and conservation!
Live Entertainment
MAIN
STAGE – FOOD COURT
10:00-11:15
– Steve Kuzma and Bunco
12:00
– Magic of Energy – an exciting, skillful & comical exploration of
renewable energy resources
1:00 – Valerie Vaughn Tuckerton’s talented
environmental singer
2:00 – Magic of Energy – an exciting,
skillful & comical exploration of renewable energy resources
3:00 – Valerie Vaughn Tuckerton’s talented
environmental singer
STAGE
2 – PLAYGROUND
Middle Earth Studios “King Dayvon and the Giant Pumpkin” at 10:30, 12:00, 1:30
& 3:00
This
tale features knights armed with swords and shields, beautiful princesses (who
also happen to be the kingdom’s finest gardeners), the dwarves and animals of
the Lonely Mountain, and some wicked goblins from the Black Caves. Come join this quest to recover a prized
organic pumpkin stolen by the goblins.
Bring cameras because the most important people in the show - your
children & friends - will want to re-live this experience.
The
ACUA would also like to thank additional Earth Day sponsors including:
Caesars
Entertainment, Acacia Financial Group, Inc., Atlantic City Jitney Association, Home
Depot, Siracusa-Kaufman Insurance Agency, AtlantiCare, Chavond-Barry
Engineering, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
Galloway
Township Education Association, Mathis Construction
McCullough’s
Emerald Golf Links, Nehmad Perillo & Davis, P.C., Russell Reid and T&M Associates
For more information,
visit www.acua.com/earthday