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Get down and dirty on Earth Day
The Evergreen non-profit organization has held Earth Day celebrations at Everett Crowley Park in Vancouver since 2001. Over the years, the event has grown into a large-scale community celebration, engaging volunteers to help with the continual restoration of a nature park that was once Vancouver's central landfill.
Evergreen, the only national organization dedicated to community-based urban restoration, is a national, non-profit, environmental organization with a mandate to help Canadians bring nature back into their cities. The organization motivates people to create and sustain healthy, natural outdoor spaces, and provides the practical tools for success through its three core programs: Learning Grounds (transforming school grounds); Common Grounds (working on publicly accessible land); and Home Grounds (for the home landscape). www.evergreen.ca
In partnership with the Everett Crowley Park committee and
the Vancouver park board, Evergreen invites you to participate in this year's Earth Day Vancouver Celebration.
Evergreen's 6th annual Earth Day celebration, April 22, 11am - 3pm, Everett Crowley Park (Kerr Street and S.E. Marine Drive)
Earth Day Vancouver
The Vancouver celebration is a free, family-oriented public event. Participants can enjoy a variety of activities:
- Come out and lend a hand. There are more than 700 trees to plant and lots of invasive species to remove.
- Mandala-making
- Children's activities
- Musical performances
- Guided nature tours with Manfred Hagen
- Sale of native plants
and more!
For more information or to volunteer, contact Shelley Milstein, Earth Day coordinator at 604-689-0766 (ext. 29) or shelley@evergreen.ca. Volunteer sessions include a tour of Everett Crowley Park and training for planting and invasive species removal.
Pre-event workshops
Invasive species removal
April 8, 10am - 12 noon
Everett Crowley Park
(Meet at the Kerr Street parking lot.)
Make a mandala
April 9, 1:30 - 3pm
Organic art-making for Earth Day
Champlain Heights Community Centre (near East 54th Street and Kerr Road). The Secret Lantern Society will conduct a free workshop on the history of mandalas and how to work with natural materials to create ephemeral artworks. Natural materials from the removal of invasive plant species will be used to create mandala-inspired art at the Earth Day event in the park.
All workshops are open to the public. To register, contact, Shelley Milstein at 604-689-0766 (ext. 29).
Evolution of a park
In 1944, the site of Everett Crowley Park (formerly Kerr Road Park) became Vancouver's central landfill for residential waste, and, subsequently, all of the city's refuse. Since few restrictions were placed on what could be discarded, spontaneous fires erupted, sometimes burning underground. The local community spoke out and the landfill was closed in 1967.
In the 1970s, a plan to develop the land into a nine-hole extension of the Fraserview Golf Course was abandoned when the Fraserview and Champlain Heights communities, as well as the Vancouver Natural History Society, expressed displeasure. A 1972 survey showed that local residents wanted the park preserved in its natural state. Alternatively, the community wanted a combination botanical garden and picnic area.
In the mid '80s, the Killarney-Champlain Citizen Association, the Champlain Heights Community Association, and the Vancouver Natural History Society appealed to the Vancouver park board to preserve the site as a nature park. In August 1985, the board approved the proposal,.
Since 1985, the Everett Crowley Park committee (formerly the Kerr Road Park committee) has spent countless hours restoring the park. In 1986, the committee successfully bid to have the park board spend $50,000 on site development. In 1989, the Crowley family donated $20,000 toward improvements.
Canada celebrates Earth Day
All events are free.
Victoria: 25th annual Earth Day celebration, April 22
The event includes a parade, entertainment and information booths. Meet in Centennial Square at noon for the Earth Walk. Parade proceeds along Government Street to the Legislature Building. To book a table ($35), contact Steve Filipovic, Earth Walk coordinator, 250-216-5903.
Calgary: Earth Day movie
marathon, April 22
The Clean Calgary Association EcoStore Lounge presents four educational films about the environment: The End of Suburbia, Affluenza, Organic Prophecies, and Crapshoot, 10:30am to 3:30pm. Seating limited.
www.cleancalgary.org
Edmonton Earth Day, April 23
Canada's largest Earth Day event has music, food exhibits, free workshops and lots of fun activities for the kids. Hawrelak Park, 12 noon to 7pm.
www.earthday.ca
Toronto: Earth Day and Tree Planting Festival, April 22
Bring the family and plant
a tree. Event includes workshops, eco-seminars and free children's shows. Downsview Park,
12 noon to 4pm.
www.earthday.ca
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