Earth Day Fair & Parade celebrates community and sustainability in downtown Bend
(Update: Adding video, comments from parade-goers, Environmental Center)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Downtown Bend was packed for an Earth Day celebration on Saturday. It was the Earth Day Fair and Parade put on by The Environmental Center.
The streets were filled with music, dancing, and people dressed up in costumes for the parade.
People pretended to be everything from mushrooms to butterflies. You could also get your face painted, do some garden activities, visit an electric bike showcase and see the new Bend-La Pine Schools electric school bus.
"Just getting bigger and bigger every year," Priscilla Calleros, The Environmental Center's events & outreach manager, said Saturday. "So we're just excited that we can bring community together and celebrate our Earth."
Bend resident Makena Beckner said, "This is actually at least my first time going to this." It was also a first for Aria Schnapf, who was with her.
Beckner added, "I love Earth Day, and it's such a good practice. I feel."
After the parade, people gathered at Troy Field to hear from the Earth Guardian Puppets and The Environmental Center staff.
In honor of the occasion, food vendors tried to be as low-waste as possible by offering reusable dishware to customers.
This outdoor event features and celebrates our community through music and dance performances, local food vendors, businesses and nonprofits from across the region, electric car, bike, and appliance demonstrations, an activity zone for all ages, and more!
To continue sustainability efforts to make this event as low-waste as possible, The Environmental Center worked with food vendors to pilot an event-wide reusable dishware system! Reusable dishware was available at each food vendor booth for all customers. After enjoying a delicious meal, customers were asked to return dishware to a sorting station, emptying any food scraps into a food waste bin for composting.
This event is presented by Strictly Organic Coffee Co. For more information, visit: envirocenter.org/tec-events/earth-day-fair/.
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About The Environmental Center
The Environmental Center’s mission is to embed sustainability into daily life in Central Oregon. We translate sustainability into practical, local action in order to create a healthy future for people and the planet. We are focused on building community, educating kids, revolutionizing energy, rethinking waste, and advocating for change. Learn more at www.envirocenter.org or by visiting our facility at 16 NW Kansas Ave. in downtown Bend, Oregon.
