The San Diego Traveler

The annual EarthFair in Balboa Park is the largest free annual environmental fair in the world. EarthFair 2008, on April 20, is the 19th anniversary of this event, with around 60,000 visitors expected. (More about this in another post.)

Beach Cleanup

digital-telepathy will partner with StayClassy.org for Earth Day 2008 at the 2nd Annual Beach Cleanup Extravaganza on April 22. They’re inviting all Earth-lovers to come help clean up the beach this Earth Day 2008. We all love our San Diego beaches so come be a part of dt & StayClassy’s Earth Day cleanup and show how much you care!

EarthDay08@SDSU

EarthDay08@SDSU on April 22 includes an Earth Fair, a Cultural Drum Circle. E3 has invited hundreds of sustainable businesses and organizations to campus, for educational consumer networking and professional opportunities.  The Earth Fair is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in working for eco-friendly employers or to learn about lifestyle changes that you can begin making today to enhance a sustainable tomorrow.

UCSD Earth Day Events

At UCSD, a Clean Car Show is scheduled for April 22 on Warren Mall. The event will feature an electric “Mega Truck,” one of only two in existence in the U.S., and a smart car aptly called “Gidget.”

Other April 22 activities include a “Garbage Sort” demonstrating how much ordinary trash contains recycled items.

The weekly Farmer’s Market will continue on Library Walk, and an “eco fair” will be held by student organizations on Warren Mall to highlight their green contributions.

Eleven winners of Campus Sustainability Awards will be recognized by Chancellor Marye Anne Fox at a special ceremony at Eucalyptus Point, during which Fox will note the winners work, across disciplines, to come up with innovative solutions for pressing environmental challenges.

On April 23 activities begin with a tree planting at the intersection of Hopkins and Voigt Dr., followed by an Eco Job Fair at the Career Services Center. The purpose of the Eco Job Fair is to bring together socially and environmentally conscious business organizations with students who want to apply their skills and enthusiasm in the sustainability arena.

The arts and the environment will be celebrated with two special events in the Price Center Theater on April 23. “VidFest” will feature original video projects of 10 minutes or less produced by UC San Diego students that demonstrate imagination and raise awareness of environmental and sustainability issues. Meanwhile, in the foyer of the Price Center Theater, an exhibition of environmentally-themed art by students and staff will be on display. An organic reception honoring the artists, filmmakers and researchers will follow.

On April 24, Earth Week participants will join John Muir College in the continuance of its 40th anniversary activities at a “Choose to Change” lunch  featuring guest speaker Matt St. Clair, sustainability manager for the UC system. St. Clair will discuss efforts UC students are making to achieve a more sustainable world.

This anniversary event also features a daylong series of presentations and workshops on the Muir campus. A panel discussion by Gary Matthews, vice chancellor of Resource Management and Planning; Jim Ruby, Campus Fleet manager, and Steve Casad, Dining Services director, will detail the new initiatives being undertaken to make the campus more environmentally friendly and sustainable. The day will culminate with a series of student workshops suggesting ways to get involved in promoting environmental responsibility.

And one of those individual ways will be illustrated with a “bicycle breakfast” on April 24 at the Gilman Information Booth honoring those who bike to campus.

The week will end with the traditional Muirstock Concert and Festival to be held on April 25 on the Muir College campus.

Nightly organic dinners will be served throughout the week at different campus eating establishments, and 1,000 reusable bags will be given to participants during the week to promote sustainability.

I Love A Clean San Diego Creek to Bay Clean-up

Join KFMB Channel 8 and Sempra Energy in Rancho Penasquitos for the 6th Annual “Creek to Bay Community Clean-up” on April 26. According to their website:

“The mission of the Creek to Bay Cleanup is to engage community members to remove debris from San Diego’s waterways and open space areas. Half of the cleanup sites are coastal and half are inland, emphasizing the fact that almost 80% of marine debris originates inland. All of these areas are an integral part of San Diego’s eleven watersheds, and every piece of litter is a potential piece of marine debris. Getting involved is easy! I Love A Clean San Diego hosts approximately 60 cleanup sites throughout San Diego County, each led by trained volunteer site captains. Cleanup sites range from Oceanside to San Ysidro, and Ocean Beach to El Cajon, making it easy to get involved no matter where you live!”

Cuyamaca College Spring Garden Festival

The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College is presenting their annual Spring Garden Festival, “Conservation in Bloom.” This fun and interactive afternoon, on April 26, will have garden experts, a lecture series, activities for kids and much more.

SDG&E Events

To help reduce paper waste, SDG&E offers paperless online billing, and here’s how you can help. For every new My Account paperless registration between April 1 and June 30, 2008, SDG&E will donate $1.00 (one dollar) to I Love A Clean San Diego. The proceeds will be used to “green up” San Diego with native plants and vegetation in local communities. To switch to paperless billing, simply go to SDG&E’s website and register, and you’ll help green up San Diego!

You can also attend a Lighting Turn-In Program in your community, where you can trade up to 5 incandescent bulbs for the same number of new, energy-efficient light bulbs. You can even trade up to two halogen lamps for two new energy-efficient torchiere lamps, all at no cost to you!