Where were you on Earth Day? Did you do your part to help gussy up Mother Earth? We hope so, but if you missed out in 2008 worry not, because Earth Day 2009 is right around the corner. Green Columbus is working with just about every area environmental group to make Earth Day 2009 the best ever.
Building on the success of our 2007 Earth Day event, Green Columbus organized “Earth Day 2008: Now Get Busy!” The 2008 event boasted 50 morning worksites throughout the Central Ohio area and featured an afternoon volunteer celebration at Goodale Park. In total, approximately 1,300 central Ohioans each volunteered a three to four hour shift in the morning (at a worksite of their choice) planting trees, cleaning up parks and beatifying communities. At noon, worksite volunteers made their way to the centrally located Goodale Park for a “Zero Waste” Celebration (all waste was composted or recycled). There, an additional 250 volunteers assisted with set-up, lunch service, security, waste management, and tear down.
“Now Get Busy!” 2008 was a success by any measure. There was the impressive 4,700 work hours volunteers devoted to “cleaning and greening” our city and the “Zero Waste” celebration, but did you know that even tips collected from beer sales were used to purchase carbon credits? These credits offset any greenhouse gas emissions associated with “Now Get Busy!” ensuring that we truly left the planet better than we found it that day.
The “Earth Day 2008: Now Get Busy!” event was made possible with generous support from The Columbus Foundation, The CW – WWHO TV, Whole Foods Market, The Grossman Group, Brighter Minds Media, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Weisenbach Specialty Printing, MORPC, Corna/Kokosing, and many more.
Our plans for 2009 are even bigger. We plan to include more than 2,500 volunteer slots in the morning, and an even bigger afternoon celebration. Details will be coming soon, so stay tuned.
