COMMUNITY - APRIL 23, 2003

33rd annual Earth Day celebration set for East Lansing

By ISABELLA J. ROWAN

Until three years ago, Teri Parks never really considered herself an activist. Other than doing some recycling at home, the 42-year-old owner of Bohemian Barber in East Lansing wasn’t involved in any cause that ventured beyond her personal space. And then, Small Planet closed. And with it went the annual Earth Day celebrations held at Ann Street Plaza. She decided she believed in those celebrations and took action to back it up.

Photo By J.D. Small

Earth Day in East Lansing Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. Re-educate. Music, food, environmental speakers and information, cool cars and lots of fun for the whole family. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, on MAC Avenue between Albert and Grand River in East Lansing; FREE. For more information, call Teri Parks at 351-3518.tle, Ginneh Thomas.

“I thought it was a good enough event to take it on myself and keep it going,” Parks said. “If I don’t do it, who will?”

She went before the East Lansing City Council to request street closures for this event. In light of student “disturbances” (as they’re being called), the Council nearly said no. But Parks gave them a good argument: “We can showcase the new city center and none of the malls have an event like this.”

Parks hopes that one day Earth Day will be as big and well known as the Art Festival. Now in its third year under her direction, Earth Day in East Lansing will be noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, on MAC Avenue between Albert Street and Grand River Avenue in East Lansing. Right on the street.

Parks wants this Earth Day celebration to be more like a fair. In addition to music by local bands (including Sistrum, Happy Accident, The Fuzz, The Pushers and Farewell Drive) and info tables by local environmental groups (like the Department of Environmental Quality, Sweet Water Alliance, The Earth Charter, MSU and East Lansing Recycling and others), there will be a children’s activity center with face painting and crafts, a refreshment station with fresh cold water and treats for fuzzy, four-legged visitors, and lots of great snacks from homemade ice cream to freshly brewed gourmet coffee for the two-legged ones. You will also have the opportunity to check out some cool energy-efficient cars presented by Urban Options and GLEEM (Great Lakes Energy Efficient MotorRally). These cars run on ethanol, biodiesel and other alternative fuels.

“Bring the dog. Bring the kids. Bring the neighbors,” Parks said. “This is a fun, peaceful and positive family event.”

Photo By J.D. SmallPhoto By Teri Parks

Laurent Merkel gets her face painted by Sunshine Rasdale at the 2002 Earth Day in East Lansing.

This family-friendly event is being sponsored by the East Lansing Merchants Group, East Lansing PRIDE Team, various other merchants, including The Dollar in Lansing, and individual donations. Parks wants to say a very special thank you to the city for its willingness to close the streets required for Earth Day in East Lansing 2003.

Now in its 33rd year, Earth Day was founded by Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. He was troubled that the state of the environment was a non-issue in the politics of this country. In 1969, he decided to take action. “I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda.”

It worked. An estimated 20 million Americans participated in the nationwide environmental demonstration known as Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Since that time, we’ve witnessed the passage of legislation to protect wetlands, wilderness areas and wildlife; the Environmental Protection Agency was established; the Clean Air and Water Acts were signed into law; oil and gas drilling along the Rocky Mountain front was banned; and numerous national monuments have been established.

“It’s important for us to remember to conserve our resources,” Parks said. “I remember when people would drive down the highway and throw their trash out the car window and think nothing of it.”

“We need to remind ourselves we have only one earth and it belongs to everyone,” she continued. “This is it; this is all we got. We all share in the responsibility.”

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