Bend kids celebrate Earth Day in a big way

Friday was Earth Day, and it’s all about giving back to Mother Nature. Bend residents of all ages went green and got busy on projects around town.

Earth Day officially started in 1970 to encourage people to protect the environment and 46 years later the special day is still alive.

Many Central Oregonians helped clean up the streets and plant native plants around The Environmental Center, while students from Westside Village Magnet School planted crops.

Sustainability educator Denise Rowcroft said anything helps.

“Anything that’s outside — planting, cleaning up, pulling invasive weeds, shoveling dirt — kids love getting involved with,” she said.

Central Oregonians are known to love the outdoors, and students said they want to protect it for future generations to enjoy.

“We’re trying to go non-plastic. It’s quite hard, but you can just say no to whoever’s trying to offer you plastic,”one Bend student said.

A little girl said, “What we learned that really breaks my heart is that there’s a hole in the ozone layer. And that’s bad.”

Students said they’ve been eating garden-grown food, as it’s better for the environment.

“It’s more sustainable to grow something yourself than get it from a grocery store that puts a lot of toxins into the air from transporting,” the student said.

The students say not only does eating locally help Mother Nature, but students say it’s healthier too.

“Why I don’t really like genetically modified stuff is because it’s not natural,” student Sophia said. “Say you have a grapefruit this big and then you put some chemicals to make it grow bigger. That’s not natural. We like it the natural size, the natural taste — the natural everything.”

All those involved said it’s important to give back to the environment year-round and not just on Earth Day.