It may be midwinter, but organizers are already planning the annual spring Earth Day event in City Park.
Scheduled for April 20, the celebration is co-organized by the nonprofit Earth Day Berks County and Reading’s Public Works Department.
Attendees at this year’s celebration can expect the return of several favorite features from past years, said Bethany Ayers Fisher, the city’s sustainability manager and co-chair of the event.
These include the popular animal exhibits by Red Creek Wildlife Center, a wildlife rescue service in Schuylkill County.
Other exhibits and demonstrations will focus on the importance of environmental stewardship and ways to help protect the planet.
The festival also will feature live music, Native American dance and storytelling, and more, co-chair Bill Litvin said.
There may even be a few surprises or extras this year.
“We have things up our sleeve,” Ayers Fisher hinted.
Her comment prompted Litvin to chime in: “But our sleeves are long sleeves because it’s wintertime, so we can’t pull them up until the weather gets a little warmer.”
Litvin has led Berks County’s Earth Day celebration since 1989 when it became an annual event.
“COVID challenged us,” he said, noting a virtual celebration was held in 2020. The festival returned for a belated celebration in June 2021.
Litvin said Earth Day was begun in 1970 to promote environmentalism.
“It’s a chance to educate people about environmental issues,” he said of the family-friendly festival.
This year’s event will focus on every day environmentalism and the simple practices that can make for a cleaner and safer environment for humans and other living things.
“We even came up with a new slogan: Earth Day is for everyone in every neighborhood, every day,” Ayers Fisher said.
The day will kick off in the morning with a citywide cleanup, part of the nationwide Great American Cleanup.
An effort of the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, the annual cleanup is the nation’s largest community improvement program. An estimated 20,000 communities nationwide take part each year.
Activities in City Park will begin at noon following the cleanup.
There is still time for exhibitors to register.
“Anybody who’s interested in environmental health is welcome,” Ayers Fisher said, noting the broad topic covers everything from climate change to gardening to fish habitats and outdoor recreation.
Educational and other groups are welcome as are businesses that use environmentally friendly methods or materials or that help create a healthier environment.
Sponsors also are needed to help keep down the cost of the free event.
“We have some marvelous sponsors,” Litvin said, noting these include Cougles Recycling, Hamburg; EnerSys, Bern Township; JP Mascaro, Exeter Township; and Blanski Energy Management, Reading.
For more information on exhibiting, sponsoring or volunteering for the Berks County Earth Day event, visit earthdayberks.org.
Source: Berkshire mont