Community Shows ART & Heart at Earth Day

This year, Earth Day Partnered with the ARTS! A HUGE thank you to our 2013 partner, the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Arts Council! From the tents full of Art Studio Tour artists displaying their talent and giving demonstrations to Maple Ridge Dance Circle’s dancers performing throughout the site, Saturday, April 20, 2013 was a day to remember. The tunes of Penelope Above and musicians at the Farmer’s Market kept the park alive with music and people gathered to hear eco-stories from the Maple Ridge Library inside the big Fish Tent in the ACT Lobby. Flash mobs were everywhere, including Robyn Picard’s swing dancers and the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society’s Spanish Dancers, Dancing Stars, and Zumba Gold.

Eco-Art connections were everywhere at Earth Day! The Maple Ridge Environmental School invited people to participate in Found Art and by the end of the day had created a beautiful mandala (roughly translated as “circle art”) out of leaves, flowers, pinecones, horsetails, and other pieces of nature. The Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Arts Council, Ridge Meadows Recycling, & Cinema Politica presented Eco-Films at the ACT and the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association displayed electric vehicles with colourful  artistic decaling.

Two favourites from last year’s event, the Family Freecycle and the Cycle Recycle, grew even bigger this year. The Family Freecycle was held in the Greg Moore Youth Centre. “Last year we collected and gave away the equivalent of ¾ of a cube van full of gently used books, toys, and clothing – this year we gave away the equivalent of 1½!” said Freecycle Coordinator Tanis Green.

“It was definitely another great Earth Day,” said Jackie Chow from HUB: Your Cycling Connection, “We gave away 15 bikes in this year’s Cycle Recycle. My biggest regret is – as always – that I never have enough time to look at everything else that’s going on!”

“We can report a very good day,” added Eileen Dwillies, manager of the Haney Farmer’s Market, “Over 3000 people attended again this year – our counter couldn’t keep up! Sales were one third more than last year and we had very happy concession and food vendors.”

With this year’s success under their belts, organizers can start to look forward to celebrating the Haney Farmer’s Market’s 10th Anniversary with next year’s Earth Day theme, “Food!”

**scroll down for more great Earth Day photos by Amber Light Photography!**

Winners in the inaugural Celebrate Earth Day Poetry Contest:

Elementary category

1) Reid Messier – Huckleberry

2) Gavin Windsor – Funny Fungus

3) Paige Tomlinson – Forests

Secondary category

1) Elizabeth Szalajko – Of the Pine Forests

2) Rachel Weir – What Is and What Was

Adult category

1) Erin Kieneker – The Best Gift

2) Annette LeBox – Crane Count

3) Liz Hancock – The Salmon

Congratulations to the winners of our Eco-Art Connection Prizes:

1) CEED Centre with Jack Emberly, Paula Justus, Raging Grannies, Craig Spears, & Janet Amsden – Storytelling, Music, Singers, Puppets

2) Art Studio Tours & Art Innovators– Community Mural depicting logos & messages of many local environmental groups

3) Ridge Meadows Recycling with Ilona Marshall of Over the Top – Recycled Fascinators & Repurposed grocery bags

4) Alouette River Management Society – Stream of Dreams – Dreamfish Mural

5) Adopt-A-Block with Elizabeth Hancock – Painting