Celebrating the Earth
Earth Day can be celebrated in many ways – by participating in a trash cleanup, lobbying local government on environmental issues, making a plan to reduce consumption, or just spending time outdoors.
The Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD) has expanded its Earth Day celebration to span the entire month of April. Sara Churgin, District Manager for ERICD, said, “We started out a few years ago offering rain barrel workshops on Earth Day. That grew to a few workshops leading up to Earth Day. Another year we added a seedling sale. During the pandemic we started an independent trash pickup - also known as plogging.” This year, ERICD is offering three rain barrel workshops, three plogging opportunities, a seedling sale, a community learning workshop about stormwater, and a comedy show.
ERICD Board Member, Jessica Cullinan, said, “ERICD is a small organization with just a few staff members. A lot of our events are led by volunteers and board members so it’s really impressive the impact we have been able to have. We are so thankful to all of our volunteers and funders who make what we do possible.”
Cullinan has led the organization’s plogging efforts over the last few years. Plogging is any combination of walking or running while picking up trash. It started in Sweden and is a combination of the English “jogging” and the Swedish “plocka upp.” For the second year, ERICD is organizing a plog after the Newport Rhode Race on April 15. Volunteers will spread out on the race route to clean up race debris – plastic bottles, paper cups, and whatever else gets thrown on the route. “Our drinking and coastal watershed is so fragile, so catching trash before it hits waterways makes a big impact,” said Cullinan. There is another coastal plog planned at Fogland Beach in Tiverton on April 23, as well as a “Plog and Chug” with running group Newport Run and Chug on April 27. The group will plog a 5K in Newport then enjoy a pint at Fastnet Pub. Cullinan said, “Our hope is to make plogging something fun that people will consider doing all year long.”
Avid plogger and comedian Ashley Gutermuth will headline ERICD’s Comedy for Conservation show on April 21 at Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth. “All Laughs, No Litter” is the tagline for the show which fits perfectly with Gutermuth’s clean comedy. She has been plogging for three years and has an eight-year streak of running every day. The show will raise funds for ERICD’s conservation efforts, which extend year long.
Another Earth Month effort is the Seedling Sale, which falls on Earth Day, April 22. Planting native and non-invasive species has many benefits for the environment including removing CO2 from the air, absorbing and slowing down polluted stormwater, and providing habitat for local wildlife. There are twenty species of plants for sale this year, ranging from Purple Coneflower and Butterfly Milkweed to Holly Winterberry.
“Our signature events are still the rain barrel workshops,” said Churgin. “We will be having three throughout our service area this year on April 22 in Middletown, April 29 in Barrington, and May 13 in Bristol.” Rain barrels connect to the downspout on your house and collect rainwater. This reduces the amount of water washing pollutants and trash down the street and into the watershed. The water in the barrel can be used to water lawns and plants (though it is recommended to avoid use on produce or herb plants because the rainwater might have collected pollutants from the roof). These barrels are a great residential stormwater solution in addition to rain gardens, permeable paver driveways, and small bioretention basins. “While we are talking about home gardens, we always like to remind people to not use chemicals on their lawns. Fertilizers and weed killers wash directly into the watershed, promoting harmful algal blooms and endangering wildlife.” ERICD also hosted a community learning event on April 11 to provide resources to the community about these residential green infrastructure solutions.
ERICD has built its Earth Month programming over the years, but these events are just a sliver of the conservation work the organization does throughout the other eleven months of the year. It provides resources to farmers and landowners to install conservation practices through its partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It partners with Portsmouth School District on the Portsmouth AgInnovation Farm – a student-driven sustainable community agriculture education program that teaches about the environment through experiential learning. It provides funding for community gardens, educates state and local governments for smart environmental legislation, and engages the community to promote conservation practices – large and small – all year long.
So this Earth Day, consider planting a plant, picking up some trash, or reusing water. Or better yet, do these things all year long! To learn more about ERICD’s Earth Month events, visit https://www.easternriconservation.org/earthmonth.