Rain, chill greet Lakewood’s Earth Day festival

Hands-on learning attracts youngsters to the water-wise erosion demo.

LAKEWOOD – Mother Nature turned a bit fickle on Earth Day, sending brisk breezes and rain to dampen the city’s Earth Day observance at City Commons Thursday and canceling a Bear Creek Park event Saturday.

The Down to Earth Expo, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, featured live music, information, how-to advice, demonstrations and exhibitors from local “green” businesses and nonprofit groups.

The sun did make a brief appearance during the four-hour event, the city’s second Earth Day celebration exposition and a sparse crowd strolled the booths on mall outside city offices.

Also Thursday, Lakewood’s Urban Parks Division staffed a Tree and Wildflower Seed Giveaway at Whole Foods Market in Belmar. Whole Foods will donate 5 percent of the day’s store sales to a Lakewood park project.

Birds get the attention Friday on a guided Birding in Belmar Park walking tour. The walk starts at 9 a.m. at the Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St. Space is limited for the guided walk through the park, which is home to a large variety of birds. Call (303) 987-7420 to check on available space.

A Bear Creek Lake Park Volunteer Event planned for Saturday after the weather lingered and turned colder Friday.  The event  at the park, 15600 W. Morrison Road. is expected to be rescheduled.

Government-access KLTV-Channel 8 will air its “Earth Month” edition of Lakewood …Open for Business for the entire month, featuring two local environmental companies, including on-demand viewing at www.lakewood-colorado.org.

For more information on Earth Week events, visit www.Lakewood.org/green or call (303) 987-7431.

Last week, City Council recognized High school students who competed in a contest to help promote and operate the annual Lakewood Green Living Fair in August. Because of their efforts, the students won a Defender of the Planet Award in Lakewood’s 2010 Sustainability Awards competition.

Teams of students from schools across the metro area, competed through the Rocky Mountain Junior Achievement program to develop a marketing plan and entertainment for the fair, which included displays and information about on recycling, gardening and environmental awareness. About 200 people attended the fair.

Lakewood’s Sustainability Awards program began three years ago and recognizes community members involved in environmentaly sensitive projects.

Other 2010 Sustainability Award winners are the Greening Lakewood Business Partnership, which provides job-development educational opportunities that yield cost savings for Lakewood businesses; the West 6th Avenue sound walls, which are made with recycled tire.

Special recognition went to the Metro West Housing Solutions headquarters (the city’s housing agency), the Parc Belmar Residential Recycling program, and Whole Foods’ Earth Week Activities. Jalil Lassey-Burdeen won the Defender of the Planet Youth Award for more than 100 volunteer hours to Bear Creek Lake Park.

The city’s Eco-Employee Awards went to Andrea Miller and the Heritage Center Staff – for waste reduction and recycling initiatives at the center; Sharon Blackstock – for coordinating single-stream recycling and shredding programs at City facilities; and Greg Foreman and Mollie Fendley – for designing and maintaining water-wise and pollinator-friendly landscapes at City parks and facilities. Employees Joe McBurney, Mark Krick and Robert Kramsvogel received “special recognition” in the awards program.

Also last week, Lakewood State Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Dist. 26, earlier this week assembled a “Green Caucus,” enlisting 37 members of the Colorado State House and Senate in a forum to discuss Colorado’s part in preserving the environment.

“I want to preserve Colorado as a great place to live and work, and I know that I’m not alone,” said Rep. Kerr. “But until now, there was no real coordination in our separate efforts. By coming together, we can look at the bigger environmental picture and fill the holes in our comprehensive plan.”

Kerr said Green Caucus members share a commitment to modernizing our energy infrastructure, creating jobs in homegrown energy industries, preserving open space for skiers, hikers, hunters and anglers, and ensuring clean air and safe water.