Children and members of the local community are going to ride to this year’s annual Earth Day festival in style.

Beginning at Edward Smith Elementary School on Lancaster Avenue, the group will bike through the Syracuse streets. The group’s arrival is the kick off of Earth Day 2008 in the Thornden Park Amphitheater.

The annual festival will host a variety of local environmentally conscious organizations, live music and locally grown food. The opening bike ride will leave the school at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, and the main event begins at 2 p.m.

The Syracuse Peace Council, New York Public Interest Research Group, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Syracuse Real Food Co-Op and the Onondaga Creek Conservation Council are sponsoring the free event.

The focus of this year’s festival is on local and regional solutions for environmental sustainability, said Sarah Eckel, program coordinator for Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

‘It’s (about) simple individual solutions that positively impact our environment and the economy,’ Eckel said. ‘Buying locally produced food reduces the fuel we need to transport the food. It supports our local farmers and keeps our dollars in our local community. So, it helps our environment, and it helps our economy.’

Throughout the event, there will be a variety of speakers discussing topics that are prevalent in the environmental community in Syracuse, Eckel said. Many will be talking about their group’s accomplishments throughout the year and their continuing efforts to address global climate change. The speakers will also focus on what local individuals are able to do. Youth participants will also perform skits prepared by children’s organizations in the community.

Games for kids and informational tables will be staffed by dozens of local groups. The Syracuse Real Food Co-Op will provide food with an emphasis on eating local.

After 3 p.m., NYPIRG has arranged live music ranging from African Marimba to Harvey Nusbaum, according to a tentative schedule. Three local bands will end the event- The Luna Ticks, Sophistafunk, who will open this year’s Block Party concert, Kid Fresh and The House Party, who is opening for Nas tonight.

Gene Wexler, a freshman television, radio and film major, is playing twice at the event – a solo set and then as the guitarist with Kid Fresh.

‘It’s cool to see Syracuse outside and actually using Thornden Park,’ Wexler said. ‘We’re taking advantage. No one actually uses it, and it has a really cool amphitheater, not to mention it’s for Earth Day. Maybe if (people) just come to see the music, they’ll actually invest themselves in the cause and they’ll actually start learning about what the point of Earth Day is.’

Earth Day, which falls on April 22, is a day meant to inspire awareness about the Earth. The organizers of this event said they want people in the community to take some time to enjoy the weather and the environment.

But many students glaze over Earth Day as just another day.

‘I normally forget about Earth Day,’ said Eric Montgomery, a freshman linguistics major. ‘But I think it will become a more popular holiday with global warming and a more perceived need to do something about the environment. Right now, nobody really celebrates a work in progress.’

Last year, the festival focused on ‘Step it up,’ a transportation-centered theme that tried to get individuals to use alternative methods of transportation, like bikes, Eckel said.

For the past several years, Thornden Park has been the location of the event because of its status as a staple in the community. And this year, rain or shine, the earth-centric festival will be held there again.

‘It’s going to be really fun,’ Eckel said. ‘(We hope) that everyone feels empowered to go out and make an individual difference for global warming.’

kmimamur@syr.edu

Published on April 17, 2008 at 12:00 pm