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Glen Ellyn Park District to host free Earth Day Fair April 28

Earth Day celebrates our planet and reminds us of our important role in keeping it healthy. "In Glen Ellyn, we use this special day to highlight "green" advances that are being made in our community," said Renae Frigo, naturalist for the Glen Ellyn Park District. "It also helps us showcase what others are doing to protect our environment, and to share ways that people can make a difference."

This year's Earth Day Fair will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Road in Glen Ellyn.

The event is free and open to all ages.

"This event has a lot to offer," said Frigo. "First and foremost, we want to inspire people. We invite everyone to sit in on a workshop and learn about composting or how to reduce consumption of natural resources. Other workshop topics include beekeeping and LEED/green buildings, which will showcase features of the Lake Ellyn boathouse. Two nature walks will be offered, along with a historical walking tour around the lake, presented by Dan Anderson with the Glen Ellyn Historical Society from 1:30 to 2:30."

Bring the kids to participate in a variety of hands-on activities like creating an art poster or potting a native plant to take home.

Enjoy food truck cuisine while chatting with local green groups or do some sustainable shopping. Local band Majors Junction will perform from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

New for 2019, the Glen Ellyn Park District is partnering with SCARCE on the event, an organization that helps schools, municipalities, and businesses with their environmental goals, offers programs and workshops, and collects many types of items to be recycled or reused, among other activities.

"SCARCE stands for School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education," said Frigo. "Their name doesn't come close to reflecting all that this wonderful community asset provides. They were exploring a new format for the Green Fair they host each year and asked to partner with us for our Earth Day celebration.

"We were excited to join forces, so we combined the event names. Both of our organizations have the same goal: to offer a fun, educational, and inspirational afternoon of earth-related activities," Frigo said.

Earth Day was first established in 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, with the hope that if he could help create national awareness of the problems being created by massive oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage and toxic dumps, and the loss of wilderness, it might force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Late April was selected for its timing between spring break and final exams, allowing college students to get involved as well.

The goal, as it is today, was to push for a healthy, sustainable environment and to help save the earth.

"Kids are our most important audience," explained Frigo. "They will inherit the environmental decisions that we, as adults, make - both good and bad. We need to model respectful behavior, teach our youth about how they can make positive impacts related to local ecology, and empower them. So often the negative, doom and gloom mindset of environmental concerns is overwhelming and brings feelings of hopelessness. We want kids back outside, playing and observing nature, enjoying all the benefits people gain from connecting with their natural surroundings. We hope uplifting events like this inspire and motivate all ages."

For more information on the Glen Ellyn Park District, visit gepark.org.

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