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Celebrate the Earth
By Kelly
Meinhart, Producer
 ome
might say that Earth Day has lost its momentum. I heard that
remark quite frequently this year, mostly because of the global
conflicts and the overall feeling of helplessness to resolve
issues that seem greater than we are. But shining through the
negativism and despair, I was thrilled to find hope. I found
it across the state of Pennsylvania throughout the month of
April. It seemed as though every weekend had events, programs,
nature walks, and festivals – all celebrating the earth
and encouraging communities, families, friends and neighbors
to take charge of their environment and make a difference. It’s
a difference we feel we ‘can’ make, in a world that’s
unsettling beyond our backyards.
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 he
celebration of Earth Day began back in 1970 in San Francisco,
and was officially proclaimed by the United Nations in 1971.
Since then many world leaders, scholars, and naturalists have
signed on to the Earth Day Proclamation, written by John McConnell.
 f
you remain unsure of why we celebrate Earth Day, I will share
with you this:
 argaret
Mead has penned many quotes that inspire naturalists all over
the world, and I think this comment from her presentation at
the United Nations Earth Day Ceremony held on March 20, 1977
may say it best. She wrote; “Earth Day is to be the first
completely international and universal holiday that the world
has ever known. Every other holiday was tied to one place, or
some political or special event. This Day is tied to Earth itself,
and to the place of Earth in the whole solar system.”
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 fficially
celebrated on the vernal equinox, or first day of spring, she
continues with;
"The vernal equinox calls on all mankind to recognize and
respect Earth’s beautiful systems of balance, between
the presence of animals on land, the fish in the sea, birds
in the air, mankind, water, air, and land. Most importantly
there must always be awareness of the actions by people that
can disturb this precious balance."
wanted to make those points because I think that sometimes we
get lost in either the preparation of an event, or just in the
fun to be had – and sometimes forget about the ‘why’
of the celebration. Those two quotes bring it back into perspective.
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 nyway,
as I said, I was thrilled to find inspiration and hope for Earth
Day 2003. One of those places was in Westmoreland County. The
Second Annual Westmoreland County Earth Day event was held
on Sunday, April 27th at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA,
and to the delight of the organizers it seemed as though the
entire community showed up. Last years event brought 1500 people
together to celebrate, which was a good number of people for
this first time event. But the organizers wanted much more this
year, their goal was to reach 5,000 visitors, and within the
first two hours of the event it was clear that they were on
their way to reaching that goal. Over 2,000 people had arrived
within those two hours with more people lining up at the door.
he
community lined up for this event for a variety of reasons;
first, it was very well organized and advertised. Local businesses
donated space and funds to advertise the event in their newspapers,
newsletters, in their businesses and on the radio – and
the word spread fast. The theme of this year’s event was
sustainability and how families can connect with the earth.
There were over 75 different groups participating in the event,
so even if one visitor joined just one of those groups –
a big impact was made.
 elebrating
a sustainable earth involved fun, hands-on, interactive educational
programs where children and adults were able to get a close-up
view of a Peregrine Falcon and Golden Eagle, touch snakes and
amphibians native to Pennsylvania, and even pet a mother Shetland
lamb and her two babies.
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nd
to my delight the displays were also hands-on, very interactive,
and often included art and music in the teaching of science….a
very important combination. Children got their hands covered
in paint while creating wildlife art, learned about Native American
cultures and the history of the Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania,
and even got involved in understanding how watersheds work.
 ut
along with the creative, highly educational programs, exhibits,
and nature walks offered at the event, what struck me most was
the energy of the organizers and the sense of community –
among everyone. It somehow felt as if people cared – really
cared, about the environment. Two who cared the most are quite
possibly two of the most energetic people I know. Ben and Carole
Wright were two of the main organizers of the event, and really
the thread that ran throughout each program and exhibit –
tying it all together into a community. Carole works with the
Loyalhanna Watershed Association and Ben for the Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy’s Watershed Center and have been engaging
the public in environmental education for some time now. They’re
a high-energy, super-spirited couple that makes things happen.
e
sure to mark your calendar, and don’t miss the ‘Third-Annual’
Westmoreland County Earth Day event to be held in April 2004.
This years event was made possible by the partnerships of: DCNR
(Forbes State Forest), DCNR (Keystone State Park), PaDEP, Latrobe
Parks and Recreation, Loyalhanna Watershed Association, Mountain
Watershed Association, PA Clean Ways Westmoreland Cty., Penn
State Cooperative Extension, Powdermill Nature Reserve Carnegie
Museum of Natural History, Saint Vincent College, Westmoreland
Conservation District, Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine
Reclamation, Western Pa Conservancy. With generous donations
by Dominion Peoples, The Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program,
Latrobe Brewing Company. With special thanks to Saint Vincent
College for hosting the event.
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Check out the following websites for additional information:
 Loyalhanna
Watershed Association
Watersheds.tv
Feature Presentation on Loyalhanna Watershed Association
GreenWorks
presents Watershed Minutes
Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Watershed Assistance Center
Watersheds.tv
Feature Presentation on the Western PA Conservancy’s Watershed
Assistance Center
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