Earth Day in New York

The Bacon Brothers Photo: Green Apple Festival

The third edition of Green Apple Festival in New York was held at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. With 6,000 people in attendance, the event was an astounding success. Talent included Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Bacon Brothers , Vusi Mahlasela and Vienna Teng.

Among other activities, participants enjoyed arts & crafts with recycled materials, tree tours, face painting, a green mural project, greenmarket vendors, and free valet bike parking.

School Greening in Queens

Earth Day Network took the GREEN Schools Campaign to Queens, NY, to provide a “green makeover” for Merrick Academy. With the financial support of Chase and the help of students, staff and volunteers, EDN created one of the first “living walls” at a school in the U.S. A living wall is a vertical wall of plants used indoors to filter air throughout the building. The wall puts out 300-500 cubic feet of clean air per minute and can save up to 20% on energy costs. In addition, EDN also constructed a greenhouse for students, monitored air and water quality, addressed energy efficiency, and encouraged composting waste in the cafeteria through the use of worm bins.

The school also organized a public “Earth Fair” The fair included a healthy foods exposition with local organizations and an eco-friendly mural on an outside school wall that students painted and designed during the fair. Community speakers discussed the details and benefits of the greening projects.