Hundreds of community members attended Longmont’s Earth Day celebration Saturday at Timberline PK-8 School.
After the overnight snowfall, organizers moved activities indoors, where dozens of businesses, organizations and community groups set up educational booths that promoted sustainability efforts, zero-waste lifestyle tips, eco-friendly practices and electric vehicles.
Yash Deshpand, a junior at Niwot High School, greeted visitors at the school’s front door and offered them educational materials.
“I’m always interested in helping out the environment and the community,” the young volunteer said. “I thought this would be really fun because it’s a social event, and you get to help people.”
Deshpand said it’s important to hold educational events like the Earth Day celebration.
“More than ever now we need community awareness to change our practices,” he said.
As the battle against climate change continues, Deshpand said he has hope for the future.
“I feel like we still have time,” he said. “We need to pick up the rate that people are changing their ways, but it’s really encouraging to see different ways that companies are changing their practices to be more sustainable — electric cars are becoming more common, so we just need to keep raising awareness.”
Sustainable Resilient Longmont Board Chair Naomi Curland echoed Deshpand’s message of hope.
“Earth Day invites us all to come together and take a day to appreciate the natural world and focus on ways that we can protect and sustain it too,” Curland said. “We call it a celebration because it is. It's important to celebrate all the impactful work being done right here in Longmont to create a more sustainable future for our community, and all life on this planet.”
Dr. Jim Butler, former director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, spoke at the event about the impact of carbon dioxide on the planet, and what can be done to mitigate its impacts. Mark and Kena Guttridge of Ollin Farms also gave talks about sustainable agriculture and the local farming movement.
The Earth Day celebration also featured a Sustainable Fashion Show of eco-conscious trends to inspire a shift away from the wasteful "fast fashion" industry.
Correction: Naomi Curland's name was previously misspelled and has been corrected.
