Cleveland State Community College will be hosting the 8th annual environmental awareness celebration on Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. called “It’s All About the Green.” This celebration will be held in the courtyard in front of the L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with parking below the gym. There will be food, presentations, entertainment, and various vendors from the Cleveland community discussing the importance and benefits of “going green.”
Exhibitors this year include City of Cleveland Shade Tree Board who will be providing tree care information and giving away tree seedlings; Cleveland Utilities will be providing information on water and electricity conservation; US Forest Service will be discussing how to go about touring national forests; Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be discussing conservation; Williams Family Bee Farm will be discussing beekeeping; and Batteries Plus will be discussing recycling old batteries. Many other businesses and organizations will be present, as well.
“This annual event allows participants the opportunity to learn how to do simple everyday things that will help preserve the earth for years to come,” said Tracey Wright, assistant to the president for Community Relations and Special Programs. “Our diverse group of vendors are sure to have information that will benefit our community members in living greener, more sustainable lives.”
In addition to the many exhibitors, the Southeast Tennessee Resource Conservation and Development Council will be conducting rain barrel workshops at 10:30 a.m. and noon. The workshops will show homeowners how rain barrels can catch water from gutters and provide them with an alternative water supply for gardening or landscaping, while helping solve storm-water issues in the area.
Ms. Wright said, “This community outreach program is free to participants thanks to generous donations from Coca-Cola and Cleveland State; however, there are a limited number of barrels. Participants will need to be prepared to take the barrels home with them on the day of the workshop.”
Children’s entertainment during the event will include planting seeds, face painting, making sun catcher fish out of old CD’s, making snake toys out of bottle caps and natural bird feeders from pine cones.
It’s All About the Green is open to the community, and admission to the event is free. In addition to rain barrel workshops, there will be activities for all ages, information booths, recycled crafts for sale, food for sale, a plant exchange, free tree seedlings, door prizes and more. There will also be ongoing, student-guided tours of the CSCC Aquaponics lab located at Cleveland High School throughout the day.
For more information on the Green Day or to participate in a rain barrel workshop, contact Ms. Wright at 423-473-2341 or email events@clevelandstatecc.edu.