It was a beautiful, sunny, perfect Florida day for the 20th Annual Pasco County Earth Day, which was held Saturday April 25. The backdrop for this event was none other than Crews Lake Wilderness Park. The lush wooded trails, botanical garden, preserve, and observation tower truly fit as an ideal location for an Earth Day event. Although the event was limited to a portion of the park there was no shortage of ways to fill your entire day, at the event or the beautiful park that encompassed it.
University of Florida was on site providing workshops which included composting, and rain barrel making. For a small fee, depending on the size of the rain barrel you wanted, you could assemble and take home your very own with a packet full of useful information. In addition to the workshops the University offered brochures on future classes for everything from how to nourish your soil, planting, dealing with the insects, and cooking classes for all the goodies you grow at home.
There were vendors from every venue ranging from furniture made from repurposed pallets to soap dispensers. Even the Tail Wagon adoption van was on site with a ton of adoptable animals just looking to be part of your purchases and find their forever homes.
Water conservation booths were set up everywhere, providing tips to conserve water, how to properly water your lawn, saving water indoors, and how to help protect and restore this natural resource. The exhibit that caught my eye was a bus, ran by Water Venture. It is a mobile lab launched in 2013 traveling across the Sunshine State giving interactive, engaging, hands on labs for 4th grade students to teach them about recycling, watersheds, and water conversation. This was such an extraordinary exhibit that I went through it twice, once alone and then dragging my husband through it who also found it fascinating.
Other than Water Ventures there was plenty of stuff for the kids. Croc Encounters brought a few exotic animals but the main attraction of their exhibit was Spike, a 10 foot crocodile. Each animal Croc Encounter had on display had factoids about that animal for your education. Investigation Station was there with The Traveling Children’s Museum. CH2M had a station to create your own snack which was popular with the kids.
Growing plants native to our area in your yard, what a concept right? We all do it, going to the big box stores and buying all the pretty plants and flowers in our yard, some die and some make it. The Florida Native Plant Society had with them plants and flowers native to Florida that you could buy and the prices were reasonable. They also provided tips and resources on Florida native plants. The 30 minutes I spent shopping the plants and learning about best planting practices was absolutely a joy. Here is a great money saving tip that I learned: the use of oak leaves is by far better than using the fancy mulches.
This was truly a wonderful event that I wish I had known of in the past to attend. I look forward to attending next year’s event and encourage everyone to do the same. It is something the whole family can do together and since admission is free there really isn’t a reason to miss it next year.
