Earth Day - Saturday, April 16th

I look forward to speaking at this Saturday's Earth Day Festival in Forsyth Park. The event is from Noon - 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Details: Rain or shine, the 2016 Savannah Earth Day Festival will be held Saturday, April 16 in Forsyth Park between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Earth Day Festival is a celebration of being environmentally responsible stewards of our local and global ecosystems. It is one of the largest educational Earth Day Festivals in Georgia. It promotes environmental stewardship, sustainable local economies, conservation, health and wellness.

Alderman Bill Durrence will welcome the public at 12:45 at the Earth Day main stage. Live music will follow with the first performance at 1 p.m. Music performances include sets by Mosacia, Fever Tramp, XuluProphet and Culture Vulture. The backdrop to the stage was created by local school children and Starlandia Creative Supply.Savannah Bicycle Campaign will be offering their bike valet as well as presenting a Q&A in the workshop tent.

There will be 12 free workshops at this year’s festival. Workshops are from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Some of the workshops include: “Plants, Pollinators and Pesticides” by Oatland Island Wildlife Center, “Earth Friendly Skin Care” by Georgia's Lowcountry Chapter of the American Herbalists Guild, “Green Roof Benefits” by Atlantic Star Landscape Architecture/Living Roofs LLC, “So Easy to Preserve Foods from Your Garden” by Chatham County Cooperative Extension, and the yearly “Tree Walk” with Savannah Tree Foundation.There are over 75 Vendors and Exhibitors representing the many local government, businesses, nonprofits, and community groups involved in sustainability.

Some of the groups involved are Healthy Savannah, Maven Makers, SCAD Design for Sustainability, Green Revolution Lawn Maintenance, the National Park Service, Savannah Veggies & Vegans, Tybee Clean Beach Volunteers, Dogwood Alliance and Sustainativity, Inc.. The Fine Art of Recycling (F.A.R.) Gallery (part of Chatham County Recycles) is having a POP UP Gallery Show featuring artists that work with reclaimed or recycled materials. SEAL Savannah, Savannah Early College, and Savannah Chatham Public School System will be constructing a greenhouse made out of plastic bottles. The public is encouraged to help. Children’s art activities will be provided by Loop it Up Savannah and Art Rise. The Forsyth Farmer’s Market will have its regular set up and many of the farmers will stay throughout the festival.