WHAT: 40 Days and 40 Nights of Re:B-Earth 2.0 – ECO-PassPort, ECO-TradeShow, B-Earth Day Party and ECO-Awards Celebration. WHERE: Fayetteville Square @ East Square Plaza, 10am Fayetteville Forward Event, 2pm – ECO-TradeShow; 6pm -- B-Earthday Party @ Matt Miller Studio. 100 events featured in the ECO-PassPort thru-out the City for 40 Days and 40 Nights of Re:B-Earth. WHY: Celebrate an importan
t B-Earth Day! Advocate a lifestyle of conservation. History: April 22nd , Earth Day, 1970, marked the birth of the modern environmental movement. Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. “It was a gamble, but it worked.”
At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gasoline through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Earth Day 1970 turned that all around. On April 22nd, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his youthful staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Acts. Senator Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest honor given to civilians in the United States – for his role as Earth Day founder. Now, the fight for a clean environment continues. We invite Fayetteville to be a part of this amazing legacy, and to celebrate creating a new history and being a part of Earth Day. We want Fayetteville to channel this energy through this annual celebration to raise the public awareness by celebrating the Birth of our planet Earth, advocate a lifestyle of conservation, advance sustainability and build together at the grass roots, a clean, healthy and diverse world for generations to come. HOW? ECO-PassPort -- 2000 ECO-PassPorts will be distributed thru-out the city to Co-Sponsor and Co-Promote the events. Last year we hosted an ECO-TradeShow with over 70 local green businesses as exhibitors. Last year we hosted a B-Earth Day Party -- a zero waste, ECO-PotLuck with live music, certified organic food and certified organic Beer and Wine. Last year we promoted 50 events over 14 days. We had 22 restaurants and business featuring Earth Day specials thru-out the City. How Again? You want to celebrate your achievements in sustainability, or have your event or business featured in the ECO-PassPort? Call or e-mail Mikel Lolley: 479.841.7801, or [email protected]
