Sunday, April 21, 2013

Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival 2013


 Earth Day is a weekend event in Santa Barbara and thousands come out to see what's new in clean air, high mileage cars, better building materials and ideas to help us all breath easier and drink fresher. Some were out for a sunny stroll in the park and maybe to hear a few tunes from the stage.
 Find something to do with all those water containers brought to our town from outta town, outta state and outta country. Here's a creative wave that uses just 4 seconds worth of our national consumption!

Another display had a bale of crushed personal water tankards for participants to guess the number so encumbered. I hope I win with my highly scientific pinky-weighing method. I tried lifting the bale with my little finger and subsequently concluded there were 34,999 and then added another for good luck! It's not so hot to use oil to transport water (in product and to move it) that's probably safer out of the tap!
I went to help represent Nature Track at the event and got to talk with some wonderful people who think educating kids on nature is a good idea too. Some signed up to learn more about volunteer opportunities and some played with the tracks in the sand. Nature track continues to provide field trips to hundreds of kids in coordination with SB public and private schools with the help of grants, donations and sales of our products. (See NatureTrack.com for more information!)



 All the animal track forms are from current native animals of Santa Barbara Co. Even after that explanation there were guesses of wolves, grizzles and even a wolverine. The grizzly was extirpated about 100 years ago and the other guys probably haven't lived here in recorded history. Course I wasn't around the entire period to give witness to their absence over the past 10,000 years, but I hear you'd be hard pressed to find evidence.

We really do stop for tracks in the trail as well as develop the story of geology, botany and other natural history in the outdoors for school kids.
I have to admit twirling a hula hoop is about as good as ya can do on a sunny afternoon, especially if the plastic is made from some plant-based renewable product like these probably are! Keep on hooping, maybe it will all work out for the best!


1 comment:

half dane said...

do you remember the classic one-word one-liner from the movie The Graduate: "Plastics."
the wave of the future is upon us.
nice pictures