Earth MONTH? Okay. So check out Enviro Fair
This year, the two main themes are alternative vehicles and food, but you'll find a lot more.
We are now, apparently, deep into "Earth Month."
I vaguely recall that "Earth Day" became "Earth Week" because when April 22 didn't fall on a weekend, people and organizations were keen to stretch the "day" to give them a little more leeway.
How this morphed into "Earth Month" is beyond me, and for all that I care about the environment, I'm not sure I like this dilution of a significant day.
But I concede that this gives more time to host and attend a wealth of events.
One in this region that has really taken off is the Enviro Fair in Delaware County, which is being held Saturday, April 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m, at the Strath Haven High School in Wallingford.
This year, the two main themes are alternative vehicles and food, but you'll find a lot more.
For recycling, people can bring papers for confidential shredding from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Consumer electronics can be turned in for recycling from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Among the cars on display: the sporty Tesla, the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf, the Toyota Prius, and the Ford Fusion.
Food will be a big topic. You can come learn how to eat lower on the food chain -- for less environmental impact and healthier, fresher food. People will be talking about organic food, slow food and local food. PhillyCowShare will be there, selling portion-size meats to entice folks to buy a share. Two local food providers--Occasionally Yours of Swarthmore and the Chester Co-op--will be cooking fresh food outside.
Speakers will discuss cycling, energy audits, solar energy, vegetable gardening, food preservation and more.
And, yes, they're planning activities for budding ecologists as well, including making puzzles from recycled boxes, making a recycled hacky sack, bowling with reusable bottles and an animal scavenger hunt.
The people behind it are the Earth Care Council, an affiliation of churches and environmental groups in Delaware County, and aFewSteps.org, a nonprofit that promotes sustainability and energy efficiency.
More information is at www.earthcarecouncil.org