St. Louis Earth Day 2006

Alternative fuels, a "green market"

St. Louis Earth Day 2006 will give kids new looks at ways they can help to make our community and world cleaner and better. The activities and exhibits will include alternative fuels as well as a "green market."

The event will be all day Sunday, April 23, on The Muny grounds in Forest Park. Hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and admission is free. Mark your calendars.

Young Saint Louis.com will provide advance information this month, as well as in March and April editions, on environmental activities and issues of interest for kids.

Terri Riley is the new director of St. Louis Earth Day.

She said 2006 Earth Day theme will be "Rethink, Rebuild, Reuse and Renew."

And she wants kids and their families who come to Earth Day to learn things they can use in their everyday lives.

"After they attend, I want spectators to say, 'I didn't know that,'" Ms. Riley said.

One aspect of the program will deal with alternative fuels. These are fuels based on something other than petroleum and other fossil fuels. She expects to have hands-on exhibits of machines that operate on bio-diesel and ethanol fuels.

She also expects to have exhibits of the new hybrid vehicles. These cars and trucks combine petroleum fuels with self-generated electricity to power the machines.

Another exhibit area will show the impact of trash and pollution on animals and fish that live in our rivers and streams.

"We'll show how trash left on the ground ends up in the sewer system and affects the living organisms in our streams," she said. There will be exhibits showing the variety of pollutants that end up clogging the sewer drains in the city.

She is working with Missouri Stream Team groups to create the demonstrations.

This year's Earth Day will "field test" a new Recycling on the Go (ROG) initiative to clean up trash after major public outdoor events. The first recycling demonstration will be the trash cleanup at Earth Day itself.

Ms. Riley said plans are being made to use the same system on two more large public events in Forest Park later in the year.

She is recruiting recycling companies and signing up volunteers who can make the ROG program permanent in the St. Louis area. "At the present time, there is very little event-based recycling going on," she said.

Another feature of the 2006 Earth Day will be a "green food market." That will allow kids and families to buy produce that has been raised without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, she said.

In addition, there will be demonstrations of composting. That's where homeowners can turn trash such as newspapers and food scraps into natural fertilizer for their lawns and home gardens.

In many cases, the resident uses red worms that eat the trash and leave natural fertilizer.

Another exhibit area will let kids use materials found in nature such as sticks and stones to create works of art.

Two other areas at Earth Day include entertainment stages and an Earth Day Pavilion for food service.

Ms. Riley said there will be a main stage as well as smaller stages for the entertainers.

She said the food area will be under cover this year.

Co-sponsors of Earth Day also will be the sites for Earth Day All Around Town. For instance, Forest Park institutions will have special activities. That will include the St. Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum and the Zoo.

Other events will be scheduled for different cities. For instance, St. Charles is going to have a special Earth Day event.

Ms. Riley said additional events will be added right up to the Earth Day Weekend.

You can keep track of the developing Earth Day programming by visiting www.stlouisearthday.org.

This is the 17th annual St. Louis Earth Day celebration.

Watch for further Earth Day features in the YSL.com editions in March and April.