It's Earth Day all week long: A sampling of activities

BY LIZ ROLFSMEIER • Special to the Star Tribune

Wednesday is the 45th annual Earth Day, and there will be plenty of events marking the occasion into the weekend — from spring cleanups and learning about no-mow lawns to swapping used sports gear and taking a nature "story walk."

Here's a sampling from the north and west metro areas:

7411 85th Av. N., Brooklyn Park

Students in a community organizing class at NHCC have spent all semester preparing their sixth annual Earth Week celebration, which began Monday and runs through Friday.

"We pretty much planned the whole event," said Ujay Smith, of Brooklyn Center.

This year's theme is "Closing the Opportunity Gap," and it focuses on both environmental sustainability and addressing the opportunity gap in the education system for underrepresented students. Activities will include speakers, music and dance performances, a groundbreaking for a new community garden and gardening and recycling workshops.

The campus, she said, is one of the most diverse in the state, and Huerth said students in the class are involved in diversity initiatives across NHCC. "One of the things that's so cool about that class," Davis said, "is that it's students from all different backgrounds from all over the world."

Said Huerth: "One of our goals is to create leaders in those groups who can change the world we live in."

"I haven't done anything like this before," said Amy Boshire, of Brooklyn Park, a student in the class. "It's challenging. It's inspiring."

Earth Week events are free and open to the public, Among the highlights:

• Rain garden presentation, 9-10 a.m. A walking tour of rain gardens on the campus and a chance to learn how to build one. Starts at CBT Grand Hall.

• Identifying nonnative invasive plant species, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., CBT Grand Hall.

• Researcher/educator/author Joy DeGruy speaks on "The Origins of the Opportunity Gap and the Impact on African Americans." 11 a.m.-noon, CBT Grand Hall. From 1 to 3 p.m., DeGruy will lead a workshop for educators and community members on strategies to close the opportunity gap. The workshop has a $15 fee and requires registration. Go to www.nhcc.edu/degruy for more information.

• Groundbreaking for community garden and new rain gardens. 1-2:30 p.m., NHCC courtyard.

www.nhcc.edu/earthweek

Chaska

"Turf can require a lot of inputs," said Horticulture Education Manager and Extension Educator Leslie Yetka, the event's organizer.

The popular Kentucky bluegrass, for example, is "a pretty high-maintenance species," said Sam Bauer, extension educator in turf science at the University of Minnesota, who will speak at the event about low-maintenance and no-mow lawns.

A mix of fine fescues, he said, requires much less fertilizing and watering and responds better to drought. He has a fine-fescue lawn that he said he mows once a year.

"It's kind of a new thing that's catching on," Bauer said. "It's not going to be a lush, bright green. It's kind of rethinking what you want your lawn to look like."

The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and costs $15 for members, $20 for master gardeners and $25 for nonmembers (includes Arboretum admission).

The sixth annual Green Expo will be held at the National Sports Center in Blaine on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The expo, in the Schwann's Center, includes vendors, activities like making your own non-toxic cleaner and a "gear grab" area, to donate or pick up used sports gear. That ties in with a re-use/recycle outlook that jibes with Earth Day.

The expo will also have hourly giveaways for items such as rain barrels and compost bins.

Colleen Sinclair, recycling coordinator for the city of Coon Rapids, said 15 vendors have been added this year, bringing the total to about 70.

http://mngreenexpo.org

Wargo Nature Center celebrates Earth Day on Saturday from 12:30 to 3 p.m. That will be preceded by a group effort to remove invasive species (10 a.m. to noon).

During the 12:30 to 3 p.m. event, organizations will promote eco-friendly products, and there will be face painting, a climbing wall and bounce house, a nature postcard activity and a "story walk" — a nature walk where participants read enlarged pages of a storybook along the way.

Live music includes the Roe Family Singers (12:30 to 1:30 p.m.) and Tricia and the Toonies (2 to 3 p.m.).

Call 651-429-8007 to register for the cleanup.

Chanhassen

Call 952-466-5250 or e-mail parks@co.carver.mn.us to register.

Blaine

On May 2 from 10 a.m. to noon, volunteers can help clean up Laddie Lake Park in Blaine. Bags, gloves and refreshments provided. Call 763-717-2723 or e-mail skunza@ci.blaine.mn.us to register.

Liz Rolfsmeier is a Twin Cities freelance writer.