Earth Week celebrations in Nelson kick off on Tuesday, and the West Kootenay Climate Hub says there are several events you won’t want to miss.
The week-long celebration runs from April 22 to 27, with 25 different events being held throughout the community, all focused on supporting and promoting a healthy and sustainable environment.
Earth Day is celebrated nationwide on April 22—this year’s theme is “Our Power, Our Planet,” which event coordinators and West Kootenay Climate Hub members Suzanne Simoni and Judith Fearing say symbolizes the ways we can use our power to create a healing environment.
“The theme this year is ‘Our Power, Our Planet,’ and we’re taking that to mean that our planet has amazing resilience when we use our power to create a healing environment,” said Fearing.
The celebrations begin with an Earth Day Nature Connection Session at Mountain Station on Tuesday, running from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m.
There’s also a Lalin Vocal Ensemble performance at Studio 88 later that evening, and the first day of the Green Film Festival begins at the Youth Centre shortly after.
“The Green Film Festival will feature four different films: one on Indigenous learning, healing, and resilience; one on food security, focusing on how what we choose to eat affects the planet; one on cycling, which is really neat; and one about seniors and climate action,” explained Fearing.
On Wednesday, community members are invited to join a bird-walking event with the West Kootenay Naturalists, a solution café on farming and food security, and another local film as part of the Green Film Festival.
“There will be nature walks, a mask-making workshop at the Youth Centre on Friday afternoon, and kids can wear their masks in the parade on Saturday. The masks will be made out of recycled materials, so that’s really cool,” added Simoni.
Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society is also hosting its beach garbage clean-up on Saturday as part of the Earth Week celebrations. Community members are encouraged to join them at Lakeside Park from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
If you can only make it to one event, however, Simoni and Fearing say the Earth Day Parade is one not to miss.
“We’re going to be dancing, walking, bringing bikes. We’re also encouraging people to gather up recyclables and find stuff to make costumes out of or to decorate their bikes with, and there’ll be a few prizes for the most creative costumes, which should be really fun,” said Fearing.
The parade will start at the Share Nelson parking lot at 1 p.m. on Sunday, making its way north down Baker Street, around the Kootenay Co-Op, down Vernon Street, before ending at the Nelson and District Youth Centre for one last Earth Week celebration.
The parade finale will feature live music, costume prizes, games, information booths, and more.
Those who want to be a part of the parade action should head over to Earth Week Nelson’s website, as it will also feature a flash dance with four small movements that represent Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.
“A choreographer in town has created four movements that represent the four elements, and you can look on our website to learn those movements. Then you can join the flash dance that’s going to weave through the parade. They’re very simple—just go online, have a look at them, and you’ll know what to do and can be part of it,” Simoni added.
The West Kootenay Climate Hub still needs a few more volunteer parade marshals to help manage traffic for the parade on Sunday.
To see the full Earth Week schedule and to learn more about how to volunteer, click here.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyNelsonNow News Alerts.
