Environment takes center stage leading up to Earth Day
April 18, 2008
Reno, Nevada - Thursday’s greenUP! news conference at Patagonia’s Reno Distribution Center, brought together politicians, business leaders and community members to kick-start the the greenUP! springtime promotional campaign.
“Achieving sustainability is one of the hardest goals to achieve,” Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said. “We must all work together to achieve that goal.”
A gold rated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building on the banks of the Truckee River seemed a fitting place to talk about the challenges of living a more sustainable way of life and promote the leadership of the Reno area in this effort.
The greenUP! campaign is a collaborative effort amongst Reno area politicians, businesses and non-profits to highlight the efforts being made in here the Truckee Meadows area to implement sustainable technologies in government buildings and vehicles, as well as the opportunities being provide for local businesses and people to do the same. Yesterday’s conference featured short speeches by local politicians and business leaders about what has already been done, what needs to be done and featured information about upcoming environmental event.
Mayor Martini’s sentiments were reflected by Washoe County Chairman, Bob Larkin.
“Everyday in the Truckee Meadows is Earth Day,” he said. “We’re working as a team in this community. This is about more than sustainability, we’re promoting a concept of stewardship. This is about leaving things better than the way we found them. We’re many communities, but we’re one region, with the ability to lead the nation towards a more sustainable future.”
The first of the events highlighting the environment leading up to Earth Day is tonight’s Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival at the Joe Crowley Student Union on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Also presented by Patagonia, the festival benefits the Snowlands Network’s efforts to save thousands of acres of recreation land in the Reno/Tahoe
area. The “Take Action” film fest will feature LifeMoreNatural.com Athlete With a Cause, Seth Warren, and his documentary, Oil and Water Project, highlighting his and Tyler Bradt’s journey from Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego in a bio-diesel demonstration vehicle. Their year-long whitewater kayaking adventure and alternative energy advocacy effort is one of the many documentaries being shown tonight between 6pm and 10pm. Tickets can be purchased at the student union and the films begin at 7pm.
Watch a teaser of the Oil and Water Project here.
Later this weekend, Nevada EcoNet will be presenting the 2008 Earth Day Celebration on Sunday April 20th from 10am to 5pm at Idlewild Park, free for all to enjoy. “Green is Now” is the theme this year, an effort to invigorate citizens of the Truckee Meadows to start going green today. More than six workshops on how to go green, led by local experts, will be held all day on the workshop stage.
The day will also be filled with music and food as over six bands perform on the solar powered stage with a zero waste food court and local farmers’ market. There will be more than 100 booths with environmental products, services and programs are on display for people to ask questions, get information and take action. Recycling for car batteries, cell phones, CFL light bulbs, and bikes will be available during the Earth Day event.
In addition, in order to offset the carbon footprint of the Earth Day celebration, participants can contribute to the Green Power when buying raffle tickets. Nevada EcoNet is partnering with Desert Research Institute’s Nevada GreenPower Program and Solar Generations of Sierra Pacific Power Company, representatives of which were also on hand at the greenUP! conference, to offer attendees and vendors an option to help offset the carbon footprint of the 2008 Earth Day Celebration. Contributions will be accumulated by Nevada EcoNet and contributed to Nevada GreenPower Program for solar panels and small wind turbines to be installed on local schools.
Related posts: [ Celebrating Earth Day ] [ Tahoe Summit: 10 years later ] [ Announcing Green Rewards ] [ Angora homeowners going green ] [ In quest for gold, Olympic skier seeks to help Reno youth ]
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