Earth Day will get its own special event this year in Fayetteville, thanks to Sustainable Sandhills. For the first time in Fayetteville’s history, there will be a gathering to celebrate planet Earth and education on resource conservation and sustainable energy.
While Earth Day is officially April 22, the city will celebrate a bit early on April 20th, at Festival Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day will be packed full of events starting with the 5k and 10k races. Races are open to everyone, including families.
Not a runner? Then walk the race. This is meant to be a community event that everyone can participate in. Runners and walkers can register online on the Sustainable Sandhills website, sustainablesandhills.org. If running is just not a tempting activity, don’t worry, there will be a plethora of other choices for all members of the family.
Along with the races, there will be a cornhole tournament. Participants can register for this activity onsite. The event will also include games, environmental education, and an electric car show. Have an electric vehicle? Want to show it off and promote gasless driving? Register for the electric car show on the website. 910 Telsa Car Club is already set to show off its electric cars.
Fascinate- U Children's Museum Super Science Fun Fest will be taking place at the celebration. They will have STEM activities for kids. Around 60 vendors and community partners are in attendance, creating a one-of-a-kind marketplace full of sustainable businesses, like Sandhills Mushrooms. The fun will be fueled by a DJ and food trucks including Gaston Brewing Food Truck. Adult beverages, including non-alcoholic drinks, are provided by Wana Nauva Kava Bar. Co-op Extension Master Gardeners will also be holding a plant sale for those looking for new additions to their garden.
Trinity Vetere, Special Events and Website Manager Volunteer & Air Quality and Waste Management Coordinator was the “get it done girl” who helped bring this inaugural event to Fayetteville.
“Last year, during Earth Day…our staff of four, was in four different locations because there were four different events going on. Each of them wanted a piece of Sustainable Sandhills because we are the region's local environmental nonprofit. So wonderful. Awesome. Have us there. Have us involved, we love it. But after we got together, it was rather exhausting. So, we were talking about how exhausting it was and what we were going to do to fix it and my Executive Director and I looked at each and said why don’t we just bring everybody together for Earth Day. Like everybody who summoned us, put them in one spot and they can have us…. That's what we decided to do, and we thought where’s the best place to have it? Of course, Festival Park, everybody wants to be at Festival Park,” Vetere said of how the idea to have the first unified Earth Day celebration came about.
Fayetteville Beautiful will simultaneously run a Community-Wide Cleanup Event. Those who wish to participate can do so on the website. Supplies will be distributed to those who register. Attendees are encouraged to bring their old electronics and lithium batteries for safe disposal. Drop-off for these items will be in the Crest Fund Parking lot with the Cumberland County Landfill. This year’s inaugural event is sponsored by Fleet Feet Fayetteville, Gaston Brewing Company, Red, White, Bubbly & Brew, Cumulus Media, Lee Hyundai, Genesis of Fayetteville, and Allegra Marketing, Print, Mail.
Sustainable Sandhills is the Sandhills ecological nonprofit. Their mission is to preserve equity for current and future generations. They raise awareness, conduct outreach, and educate the community about what their options are and what their reality is. Sustainable Sandhills has 8 major impact areas, their most active being air quality, water quality, climate resilience, and public health.
They are always looking for volunteers. Those interested can check out the website. Earth Day was first observed on April 22, 1970, as a show of support for environmental protection. A day celebrated all over the United States in most major cities, Earth Day focuses on bringing public attention to current environmental concerns, intending to preserve the Earth for future generations. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and Activist Denis Hayes were created to spearhead the movement that ignited the first Earth Day.
Preserving our natural resources has never been more important. Earth Day is one day, but the community should be looking to make small changes in everyday life to contribute to the work of preservation. As Vetere says, “Every day is Earth Day at Sustainable Sandhills.”