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Last weekend we went to our annual Earth Day fair. Of course, it was a very hot and humid day, but we didn't let that deter us from attending and having fun. Though the fair's purpose was to encourage the public at large to do their part in GOING GREEN by conserving energy, reusing and recycling, it also featured music, live animal presentations , canoeing and nature walks. There were environmental displays, demonstrations, and workshops.
As we entered the fair, the first thing we found was a booth loaded with flowers, which was adjacent to a big pile of dirt/fertilizer/mulch. The kids grabbed a flower, which were free, and headed on the pile to add fertilizer/dirt to their newly acquired flower, then proceeded to grab a plastic container to place the plant within so they could add water to it.
(Item 1)Baskets and Spinning. There were several women weaving baskets and spinning wool. The one woman was on her loom spinning one long strand of yarn. Of particular interest to me where the colorful finger puppets and yarn dolls made with Alpaca hair. There were several stuffed toys, one of which was an alpaca, that were extremely cuddly soft. I asked the woman what she used to make them, to which she said: Alpaca hair. (Items 3 through 5)
Alpacas. They had 2 Alpacas which were absolutely adorable. One was black and the other was a rusty orange color. One of them kept moaning, as if calling for its mother. (item 6)
Gourds. As we walked along, we came across another craft booth that contained many beautiful hand-painted gourds. Some were made into bird feeders, others were strictly for decoration. (Item 7)
As we walked around from booth to booth, we came near the mansion where they were hosting 14 "Green Stations" to learn about what we could do to "Go Green." They focused on: (Item 8)
- Backyard composting - help the environment by reducing the amt. of waste that goes into landfills, reduce the need for fertilizers and water, and help to control soil erosion.
- Landscape Design Naturally in our Yards - reduce lawn size, replace it with native plants which require less watering, less mowing and fertilizing
- Backyard Habitats - plant trees, shrubs and flowers that provide water, food, shelter and nesting for wildlife year round.
- Proper Disposal of Chemicals - explained the need to dispose of trash and chemicals properly as these usually wash down the storm drains and contaminate our water supply.
- Proper disposal of cigarette butts - though I have never been a smoker, I was surprised to see the amt. of chemicals that go into the cigarette filters. I subscribe to the mentality that I would rather eat my money (as in buy food) than see it go up in smoke. :) Did you know that there are more than 4,000 ingredients in a cigarette other than tobacco. Common additives include yeast, wine, caffeine, beeswax and chocolate. Here are some other ingredients: Ammonia: Household cleaner
Angelica root extract: Known to cause cancer in animals
Arsenic: Used in rat poisons
Benzene: Used in making dyes, synthetic rubber
Butane: Gas; used in lighter fluid
Carbon monoxide: Poisonous gas
Cadmium: Used in batteries
Cyanide: Deadly poison
DDT: A banned insecticide
Ethyl Furoate: Causes liver damage in animals
Lead: Poisonous in high doses
Formaldehiyde: Used to preserve dead specimens
Methoprene: Insecticide
Megastigmatrienone: Chemical naturally found in grapefruit juice
Maltitol: Sweetener for diabetics
Napthalene: Ingredient in mothballs
Methyl isocyanate: Its accidental release killed 2000 people in Bhopal, India in 1984
Polonium: Cancer-causing radioactive element
- Reusable Totes - this booth encouraged people to use reusable totes/reusable canvas bags instead of using plastic bags. Each of the kids got to participate in a demonstration. Kay had a plastic bag, while Liam had a canvas bag. They each placed many cans into their bags and got a chance to weight it. This gave the panelist a chance to explain why the reusable canvas bag was a much better option than the plastic bag. Not only can one carry more items in the canvas bag but it can be used again and again and again. You can't do the same thing with a plastic bag. Once it breaks it ends up in the trash. Besides, they make the plastic bags so thin that they break easily with just a few items.
- Buy Local fruits, vegetables - support your local economy, or you can pick your own directly from the field.
- Let the light in - Use shades, blinds and curtains to keep your house cool during the day and open them up to allow natural light in as the sun shifts from morning to afternoon.
- Go Solar - air dry your clothes. I like to air dry my clothes, but not the towels. Also, if you are an allergy sufferer, it is not suggested that you air dry your clothes because of pollen and allergens in the air that will undoubtedly cling to your clothes.
- Conserve water int he home by turning off the faucet
- Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth or wash your face or shave. Take short showers instead of baths.
- Recycle
- Walk, carpool or bike - select the means of transportation better suited for the distance you are traveling.
- Follow Through - make a concerted effort to follow through on your pledge to "go green."
Garden - Smithville Mansion is a Greek Revival-style mansion, which currently serves as a museum, and has wonderful gardens. The bright orange Tiger Lilies are beautiful as they flank the pathway leading up to the mansion tours' entrance. (Item 10)
Valerie Vaugh sang about Tuckerton. (see Image 12)
Moose: Life-size sculpture of park mascot February the Moose created from trash collected in the parks. It had several openings where one could place items to be recycles such as glass and plastic bottles. (Item 12)
Bee Keeper, Bees and Honey: A local bee keeper was on hand selling local honey, and had a honey comb full of bees that he used to explain the honey-making process. (Item 13)
Live Animals: Rabbits and hamster (Items 14, 15 and 16).
Milk: While there weren't any live cows on the premises, there was a model of a cow that allowed kids to try their hand at "milking" a cow. It had 4 rubber teats that the kids had to grab and pull to make "milk" come out to fill the bucket. (Item17)
This is it for now. I have more pictures from this event, but am out of time at the moment. Today is Kay's school party and I have to get ready for it.
I hope you like the pictures. It was time consuming to load, detail and upload, but... 9022
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