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Home My WebLink AboutEnv - 2013-03-21 - City-wide Earth Day Events Earth Day - April 22 Every spring, the City of Kitchener organizes a number of events in celebration of Earth Day and to remind the community how important it is for all of us to protect our planet. Earth Month events and activities At the City of Kitchener, we try to find ways to make every day earth day. The spring is such a great time to get folks out and about and thinking about the environment, we have a few special activities in honour of Earth Day happening from the end of March through the month of April. Earth Hour Saturday, March 23, 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Go to the Earth Hour website to watch the 2013 promotional video and find out how you can be part of the international voice of awareness. Community clean-ups Make a positive difference for the local environment, as well as the quality of life for you and your neighbours. It's easy! Community clean-ups get many people involved and thinking about the environment. They bring neighbours, colleagues or classmates together in a common cause. They provide an opportunity to see how a small act for a short time can have a large physical impact and they may help participants develop a sense of their influence on their environment. And when community members get involved in cleaning their neighbourhoods, parks and open spaces, they are less likely to litter and are more likely to keep it clean! Organize your Own Clean-up of a local park, public space or trail. Register your clean-up for supplies and support. (a PDF of the reigstration form is also available)Clean-ups taking place during the month of April in honour of Earth Day are eligible for prizes from Tim Hortons while supplies last. 20 Minute Makeover takes place on Friday April 19th at (or around) 2 pm. We encourage businesses and organizations to take just 20 minutes out of your busy day to be with your colleagues outside in the sun (fingers-crossed) and make the environment around your workplace a little cleaner. You will be surprised at the difference just 20 minutes can make. Register your business or organization for free clean-up supplies and a chance to win a pizza lunch for your group participants. School Yard Clean-up PLUS - This year schools are encouraged to have a school-yard clean-up PLUS other earth day related activites (eg. one class could host a book swap, another could organize an Earth Day scavenger hunt; still another class could organize an environmental quiz., or a school could organize an environmental play day). Register your school yard clean-up Plus day with us for clean-up supplies and the chance to win an environmental improvement grant for their school. Check out Earth Day Canada- Eco Kids for some great activities and ideas you could try out. City-Wide Events Tim Hortons Community Clean up - Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m.- noon, McLennan Park (Ottawa and Strasburg). Kitchener Natural Areas Events - Saturday, April 20, 1 - 4 p.m., Huron Natural Area --a free, family Earth Day event, featuring hands -on educational activities, tree-planting, live bird demontrations, walking tours and more. Environmental Sustainability Forum - Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Kitchener City Hall GRT Green Machine - A free bus shuttle service will be provided by the City of Kitchener on April 20, 2013 to help bring community members to andf from the above events. Or bring your bike and join the guided bike tour and see how easy it is to get from one site to another. 2 - 1 7th Annual Bloomin' Earth Eco-Market, Saturday April 27, 8a.m. - 4 p.m., Sowntown Kitchener, King St. -alively outdoor market of handmade goods, vintage treasures and eco-friendly information booths, hands-on craft activities and games for all ages. Earth Day Canada Earth Day Canada (EDC) is a national environmental communications organization mandated to improve the state of the environment by empowering Canadians to achieve local solutions. Since 1991, EDC has been coordinating Earth Day/Earth Month events, and creating successful community programs and award-winning artistic and media projects. •Eco Kids •Community Environment Fund •Eco Mentors •Home Town Hero's •Give it up for Earth Day •Toyota Earth Day Scholarship You can make every day Earth Day! •Every year, each Canadian uses the products of one tree, 100 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter. Head out and replace what you have used by joining a local community group at a tree planting event. •Every day, each Canadian produces 2.2 kilograms of waste. That means that together we create more than 25 billion kilograms of waste each year. Rethink how you view garbage, what happens after you toss it out. •Canada is the third largest producer of greenhouse gases per capita in the world, following the United States and Australia. To do your part in helping Canada achieve its Kyoto goals, cut back on your energy use at home, work and on the road. •You can save four per cent of your heating costs by turning your thermostat down just one degree Celsius. Make a habit of turning it down before going to bed or on vacation. •A five minute shower with a standard showerhead uses 100 litres of water. Install a flow aerated showerhead and reduce the amount of water used by as much as two-thirds. •You have seven days each week in which to enjoy the outdoors. Hike a trail, visit a local park, go exploring at the beach, strap on some snowshoes, paddle down the river, sketch a bird, and organize a community picnic. •The average driver spends five to 10 minutes idling each day. That figure does not seem like much until you realize that at that rate, Canada idles for more than 80 million minutes each day. Remember 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning off your engine. •95 per cent of energy is saved by producing aluminum from a recycled can rather than from "scratch". Choose recycled products, products with less packaging, and reusable items to reduce your environmental impact. •Compact fluorescent light bulbs last 10 times longer and use 75 per cent less energy than standard light bulbs. Install these energy saving bulbs and save $35 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. •Be sure to check your local listings or Earth Day Canada's website to find out what events are planned in your area in celebration of Earth Day. 2 - 2 Quick Links • •A to Z Services •I'd like to... •Calendar of Events •Maps •Newsroom •eNewsletter •Publications •Public Notices Contact(s) Janice Ouellette Facilitator/Volunteer Resource Click here to map T. 519-741-2200 ext.7227 TTY: (System for deaf and hard of hearing callers) 1- 866-969-9994 Email Janice Ouellette For more contact information click here 2010 City of Kitchener 2 - 3