This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The Earth Day Marin Festival Pairs Fun With Day of Action on Climate Change Solutions

Earth Day Marin, a free fun festival and day of action on climate change features local & international talent, music, food and fun for all ages. Sunday 4/21/13 at Redwood High School in Larkspur.

Larkspur, CA – Known for two past festivals which drew over 5,000 attendees, Earth Day Marin announced a new approach for the 2013 event. The Earth Day Marin 2013 Festival and Day of Action on Climate Change Solutions is scheduled for Sunday, April 21st from 11-5pm at Redwood High School at 395 Doherty Drive in Larkspur. “After watching the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, we all know something needs to be done about climate change. Earth Day Marin will offer a truly fun day including inspiring speakers, comedy, music, and hands-on activities for all ages in combination with a day of action that makes it easy to learn about, and join in with, effective solutions.” said Earth Day Marin’s Director Hannah Doress.

Earth Day Marin will host high quality organizations that, in addition to educational exhibits, will also present actions.  Earth Day Marin will provide free raffle tickets that will be given to each attendee, each time they take an action. There will be a wide variety of prizes from local businesses including Cowgirl Creamery, Equator Coffee and Green Toys, Inc. The grand prize will be a 2 night stay at Hale Akua Eco-resort on Maui!

Some examples of actions people can take during the day include:

Find out what's happening in Larkspur-Corte Maderawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Biking, skateboarding, walking, taking public transit or carpooling to Earth Day Marin. Many will gather for a festive group ride at 10am at The Bicycle Works in San Anselmo, to be led by Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Jacquie Phelan, Zero Waste advocate Renee Goddard and Bicycle Works co-founder Jelani Bertoni. Secure valet bicycle parking will be provided by Marin County Bicycle Coalition
  • Doubling the percentage of renewable energy used per household by signing up for 100% renewable Deep Green energy from MCE. MCE’s 50% renewable energy is the default service for Marin. For comparison purposes PG&E provides about 20% renewables. 
  • Joining a Resilient Neighborhoods Eco-Team: participants will form neighborhood groups in which each household goes on a low carbon diet to lose 5,000+ "unsightly" lbs of CO2 and plans to assist each other in case of natural or man-made disaster. Resilient Neighborhoods has helped participants shed an astonishing 1,298,849 lbs. of CO2 - and counting!
  • Bookmarking Marin Transit’s Real-Time Transit Guide.
  • There will be opportunities to write to decision-makers with Citizen's Climate Lobby and others.
  • Diverting waste from landfill to recycling and compost/yard waste and learning about reusing and conserving resources.
  • There will be many ways to retrofit or make changes at home or institutionally to reduce one’s carbon footprint and to learn about about businesses and services with low carbon footprints.
  • Attendees can take pledges, volunteer, donate and otherwise support climate change solutions.
  • Bring an acoustic string instrument for the carbon-free jam during the event.

Some well-known talent will be part of the day including Canada’s international award-winning photographer Garth Lenz. Lenz has spoken at TEDx, has won numerous international prizes including a 1st Prize in the International Photography Competition, has been featured in TIME Magazine, and the New York Times. His touring exhibition “The True Cost of Oil” has touched people around the world with it’s stunning and evocative portraits of impacted places. His images of Alberta, Canada’s Tar Sands and arboreal region were awarded first place in Social Documentary Net’s “Searching for a 21st Century Landscape” contest and he has been recognized with many other awards. Lenz will participate in a public interview and show some of his photos.

Nationally-known eco-savvy comedian Swami Beyondananda will also appear. Beyondananda aka Steve Bhaerman has been called “the Mark Twain of our Generation” by Marianne Williamson and is “the only guru to channel Bullwinkle, Elvis and Dylan, all at the same time”. The Eco-savvy Bhaerman coauthored Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here with cellular biologist Bruce Lipton. 

Find out what's happening in Larkspur-Corte Maderawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Additional speakers and performers include

  • District 3 Supervisor Kate Sears is initiating a pilot study in Southern Marin to examine what our Bayside communities can do to both mitigate and adapt to anticipated impacts of climate change and resulting sea level rise. She serves on many related boards including the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM), 
  • California Physicians for Social Responsibility cofounder, and Climate Reality Project and Citizen’s Climate Lobby leader Peter Joseph,
  • Chief Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer, for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) Jack Broadbent speaking about black carbon
  • Damon Connolly, San Rafael City Council and Chair of the Marin Energy Authority, which administers Marin Clean Energy,
  • David Escobar, cofounder Viviendo Verde Ya, Green Latino leader and aide to Supervisor Kinsey with VVY member and award-winning DREAM Act activist Betsy Bueno and VVY co-founder Erwin Magallan. 
  • Tamra Peters, founder of Resilient Neighborhoods and Board member of Sustainable Marin
  • Lori Grace of Corte Madera’s Sunrise Center speaking about fracking in the bay area.
  • 17 year old Mill Valley native Matt Jaffe writes original music that has won "Best Original Song" awards at recent West Coast Songwriter competitions. He performs regularly in venues such as the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the Bitter End in New York City and the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Los Angeles, and has opened for artists such as Tommy Castro and Graham Parker & the Rumor. Ex-Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison will produce Jaffe's debut album.
  • Spark and Whisper featuring Anita Sandwina (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Velvy Appleton (vocals, acoustic/electric/slide guitars)– called “a serious force in modern folk” by Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal. In addition to their performance, Velvy Appelton will lead carbon free music and singing at 11:30am.
  • Multitalented musician Dore Coller (CRB, Savannah Blue, Rowan Brothers, Jerry Garcia, Yarddogs, Youngbloods) & friends will lead a carbon free acoustic jam at 3pm.
  • Rising hip hop artist Sol Doc has performed with Norrisman, SAGE, Mi Gaan and Junior Reid, and at the 19 Broadway Fairfax Festival after party, San Geronimo Music Festival and the Far West Fest.
  • KWMR Hosts Robin Carpenter (Food and Farming Report) and Solange Echeverria (Barrio Vibes)

Students will have a leading role in the event – Redwood High School’s Environmental Action Club is a sponsor of the event and will have a role in promotion and production working with Redwood teacher Joe Stewart. 7th and 8th grade students from Mill Valley’s Greenwood School plan a carnival within the festival for kids called Sea Party, working with teacher Julie Hanft, who is also known for her work with Marin Open Garden Project and GreenPlay Sustainable Summer Camp. It will include student-led interactive games and activities relating to coastal and watershed creatures like whales, sharks, otters, salmon, birds and more. The Environmental Action Club of College of Marin and Joe Mueller’s Environmental Biology 138 will provide support in outreach, hands-on education and quantifying event goals and outcomes related to carbon diversion and other actions taken during the day.

Earth Day Marin has partnered with the Marin Independent Journal to co- present an Earth Day Haiku Challenge. The Marin Independent Journal will print a number of submissions and 3 top winners who submit on the theme of climate change will be invited to read their haiku live at Earth Day Marin.

For more information about Earth Day Marin, please visit EarthDayMarin.org,Earth Day Marin on Facebook or follow @EarthDayMarin on twitter. RSVP to the event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/135614633280557/

As a peninsula, Marin is affected by sea level rise associated with climate change. Despite widespread support of many environmental causes, Marin residents have a significantly higher than average carbon footprint. Getting educated and taking action to reduce Marin’s contribution to climate change is one of the most important things Marin residents can do to preserve the many beautiful places and resources that make our county special, and to protect their safety and quality of life from being impacted by climate change, including through flooding and drought. In response for the need for flexibility that our developing climate requires, Earth Day Marin will be a rain or shine event, conducted indoors in case of rain.

Earth Day Marin is supported by private donors, sponsors and inkind partners including MCE, Marin Transit, Sunrise Center, Citizen’s Climate Lobby, Good Green Moving, LilyPad SGS – Small Green Spaces, Resilient Neighborhoods, Marin Sanitary Service, Conservation Corps North Bay, Zero Waste Marin, Bay Area Air Quality District/Spare the Air, The Pacific Sun, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, United Parcel Service, Central Marin Sanitation Agency, Las Gallinas Valley Sanitation District, Novato Sanitation District, Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin, Sausalito-Marin City Sanitation District, Sanitary District No. 5 – Tiburon and Belvedere, Marin Independent Journal, Bradley Real Estate, Marin Municipal Water District, ALLY Electric and Solar, In Defense of Animals, Viviendo Verde Ya, Families for Clean Air, Stagehand Systems, GREENUP LEARNING, Gathering Thyme, Living Tree Community Foods, Curious Jane Camp, A1 Sun Inc., The Bicycle Works, Mayacamas Mountain Spring Water, Local Music Vibe, Advanced Home Energy, WACCOBB.net, Rich Frye Photography, Mill Valley Services, Urban Bird Design, On the One Merch, Isbridge.com and MyWebPresenceNow.comGood Earth Natural Foods is the 2013 T-shirt Sponsor. If you feel mobilizing Marin residents to take positive action on climate change solutions is important, please make a donation.

Earth Day Marin is a Zero Waste event thanks to the major sponsorship of Marin Sanitary Service, Conservation Corps North Bay and Zero Waste Marin. Funding to support this effort also comes from CalRecycle and the County of Marin JPA Zero Waste Grant.

Earth Day Marin’s host committee includes Haideh Sobhi, Holly and Larry Bragman, Peter Joseph, Rachel Ginis, Susan Goldsborough, members of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, E. Ilana Trumble, Lac, Jonathan Cook, Susan Arati, Rich Frye, Alia Stenback, Barbara Monty, Marnie Glickman, David Curtis and Stacie Saraswati, Wayne and Kathleen Stranton, Amber Merino, Fiona Gillan, Belynda Webb Marks, Monica Bonny and Meegan lee Ochs among others. Members of the public are invited to become a host of Earth Day Marin by commiting to attend and invite their friends.

Earth Day Marin advisors include

Earth Day Marin Director Hannah Doress is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program and principal of Hannah Doress Events. She is well known for her work as Events Programmer at San Geronimo Valley Community Center and for her promotional efforts for the Dipsea Hike for Zero Breast Cancer. She lives in Fairfax with her wife, Soprano Emily Bender and their son, chicken farmer Abraham Bender-Doress.

Earth Day Marin is also promoting an April Series of Events. Please visit http://www.EarthDayMarin.org for more information. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Larkspur-Corte Madera