The city’s Memorial Park drew an appreciative crowd for the event April 16. The event was hosted by the Miami Environmental Professionals Association. They can be contacted at mepa@miamioh.edu.
There were free trees and flowering plants offered for those wishing to take them home and add them to their local landscape.
Three Valley Conservation Trust volunteers had a table to talk about their efforts to preserve land in its natural state forever according to the wishes of landowners concerned about development on natural areas. The Trust currently protects 25,000 acres with easements throughout the region and takes in approximately 1,000 new acres per year.
Butler County MetroParks representatives were on hand to promote their programs including a new summer series “The Nature of Kids” to get kids outdoors for the summer. They provide different program offerings at different locations around their park system Fridays June 3 through July 29.
Miami campus group Creativity City offered those in attendance a chance to think about ways to protect the environment by writing them on sticky notes and placing them on a tree at their table. The group had sponsored a Battle of the Bands the evening before in the Uptown parks in conjunction with local businesses.
Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice hosted a table displaying their new banner highlighting their work.
OCPJ President Barb Caruso was on hand to point people to the new banner displayed on the front of their table as well as the informational displays on the table.
“Environmental issues are interconnected with justice,” she said, pointing out that those issues adversely affect disadvantaged people and people of color. She said the “new” EPA recognizes that and has developed maps showing “Heat Islands” where such inequities are highlighted. “US27 north (College Corner Pike) appears on every social vulnerability map. That’s where people of color and the disadvantaged live.”
The EPA, she said, is planting trees in the Heat Island areas.
The Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District was also on hand with flyers about their various programs including “Arbeer Day” this Friday cosponsored with Hamilton’s Urban Backyard with free trees for people to plant. The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the open area at 501 Main Street in Hamilton where a theater formerly stood.
Sarah Hill, BCSWCD financial and communications coordinator and a Talawanda High School graduate, called the event “a twist on Arbor Day and make it cool again” with beers from local breweries on tap.
She also pointed to services and activities for the Soil and Water Conservation District including free well water testing in May. Appointments are already being taken. For appointments and information, call them at 513-887-3720. The district is also planning a “Clean Sweep” event September 17 when volunteers will clean up places in the county with two of those in this area – around the Black Covered Bridge and on S.R. 73.
“Pointing to an array of flyers on the table, Hill said, “We’re constantly somewhere. Today, we have a group in West Chester picking up trash.”
Another of the tables set up for Earth Fest was in use by women from the United Methodist Church who had two purposes for the day. They were offering free packets of milkweed seeds. The pods are used by migrating Monarch butterflies and many people make sure they have some of the plants in the yard to provide a resting point during the long migration route.
The Methodist women were also demonstrating their efforts making sleeping mats for the homeless from plastic bags. The plarn mats provide surprisingly soft cushions for people needing to sleep on the ground and they are easily cleaned in the event they get mud on them.
The plastic bags are cut into loops which are then knotted together and crocheted into mats six-feet by 32 inches. Peggy Lewis was on hand for the demonstration and explained members of the church have been making the mats for several years. Bags are collected at the church and volunteers take them home to crochet the mats while watching television or other seated activities. They do not have regular gatherings to work on the plarn mats.
“It takes about 800 bags out of the landfill,” Lewis said. “Most just take them home to work on them. We have had a few Miami groups help as service projects.”
Once finished, the mats are distributed through the local TOPSS food pantry, Serve City in Hamilton and Matthew 25 Ministries.
Some of the mats take on a colorful, artistic appearance as plastic bags of various colors get used, but the predominant color scheme is brown and gray from use of Kroger and Walmart bags.
MEPA organizers collected a table full of prizes which were to be awarded later as participants for the day were invited to have passport sheets stamped at the vendor tables.
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