Aiken Standard: Earth Day is Celebrated at Hopelands
Filed under: Earth911 - April 25, 2009
By Rachel Johnson
Lions, gardening and recycling joined forces to celebrate Earth Day.
Fueling a green generation was the theme of the day on Saturday at Hopelands Gardens as more than 23 different environmental exhibitors teamed up with the City of Aiken for the fifth annual Earth Day celebration.
The free event hosted at Hopelands Gardens was sponsored by the City of Aiken Environmental Committee, City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the City of Aiken Public Works.
“This is the first time we have held the event on a Saturday,” said Sarah Herring, supervisor of the Solid Waste Department. “We usually have it on a weekday, but with budget cuts making field trips hard on schools, we thought Saturday might bring out more people.”
Stations were set up throughout the gardens to educate and entertain visitors taking a self-guided tour. Louie the Lion roamed wild, and characters dressed as recyclable materials greeted children.
The day offered interactive demonstrations educating on a variety of aspects from the impacts of the environment on birds and reptiles to the need for water conservation and recycling.
Water stations were set up throughout the gardens distributing water in compostable plastic cups made from corn that completely breakdown within eight months. According to Earth911.com, Americans purchase an estimated 28 billion plastic water bottles every year with nearly eight out of 10 ending up in a landfill. Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.
Sisters Abbey and Katelyn Wilhite found the demonstration about critters in the creek to be the most thrilling as they learned about the different water tests that need to be done to ensure the environment is safe for the animals.
“We are also learning about recycling,” they said.
The City of Aiken’s Environmental Committee decided the focus for the 2009 celebration was water and water conservation in light of the drought conditions suffered throughout the state. Public Works reports nine upstate counties remain in extreme drought conditions, 10 other counties are rated as severe and three additional counties remain at moderate drought status.
Currently no restrictions have been announced for Aiken; however, much of the water we use and drink comes from deep aquifers located in the Upstate which have been greatly impacted by the drought conditions.
The message is simple: Conserve.
Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.
Simple ways to conserve water at home
- Check for water leaks
- Take shorter showers
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, shaving and washing vegetables
- Use the dishwasher and washer for full loads
- Water lawn only when it needs it and during the cool parts of the day
- Plant drought-resistant shrubs and plants
- Put a layer of mulch around trees and shrubs, which cuts down on evaporation
- Dispose of hazardous materials properly—one quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water.
Water in Production
- Producing 1 lb of bread requires 500 gallons of water.
- Producing 1 serving (8 oz.) of chicken requires 330 gallons of water.
- Producing 1 egg requires more than 100 gallons of water.
- Producing 1 serving of milk requires 48 gallons of water.
- Producing 1 serving of pasta requires 36 gallons of water.
- Producing 1 serving of oranges requires 14 gallons of water.
- Producing a typical American Thanksgiving dinner for six people requires more than 30,000 gallons of water
Visit www.monolake.org/about/waterconservation for more water conservation tips.