Join Green Bellevue and Green Gretna for the 6th annual Sarpy County Earth Day celebration on Sunday, April 28 at the Bellevue Public Schools Lied Activity Center. This event will feature educational exhibits and fun activities and will highlight the environmental efforts within Sarpy County and the metro area.
There are a wide variety of activities planned throughout the afternoon on April 28. Starting at 12:00 pm, the Largest Electric Vehicle (EV) Showcase in Nebraska is a coordinated effort by the Nebraska Sierra Club who have arranged a wide array of locally owned EVs of all makes and models. The owners will be on hand to answer questions. The event is Zero Waste and there is an extensive Zero Waste exhibit featuring recycling, Hefty energy bag, composting and EPS Styrofoam will be collected at the event by Plastilite Corporation. In addition, there will be an electronics collection of anything that runs from a battery or cord, sponsored by Cross Training Centers. Televisions and CRTs can be left for a small fee. Used athletic shoes will be collected and delivered to Nike in Gretna, and pens/markers are collected by a local middle school student. Details about these and all items being collected at the event are available on the Green Bellevue website.
Indoors will feature a Green Expo with local environmental-concerned organizations and businesses, including the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, Citizens Climate Lobby, Nebraskans for Solar, and Nebraska Wildlife Rehab. Educational Sessions will run between 1pm - 3pm; topics include Community Solar Program by OPPD and the food rescue effort in Nebraska by Produce from the Heart, a non-profit group led by a Dr. Mike Shambaugh-Miller, a UNL professor. Youth Activities include face painting, planting, a Scavenge for the Earth Hunt, and our 6th annual Trashion Show sponsored by Zoo Academy students is at 3pm.
“I am proud to participate with the other compassionate leaders in organizing the Sarpy County Earth Day this year and I encourage all residents in the county to attend and take part in forwarding environment initiatives this year,” says Sharon Rea, an Assistant Dean at Bellevue University and newly-elected President of Green Bellevue. “The Earth Day Network is encouraging the protection of our species, as all living things have an intrinsic value. Our 2019 theme is ‘Taking Steps to a Cleaner Future’ because anything is possible when we take the steps together.”
The event is from 12pm-4pm on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at the Bellevue Public Schools Lied Activity Center, 2700 Arboretum Drive, Bellevue, NE. This event is free and open to the public. Green Gretna has organized the Ollie the Trolley shuttles again this year, which will run on a schedule between Gretna and Bellevue. Visit www.greenbellevue.org for details, including a schedule of events, Speakers, participants, all collections taking place and the Ollie the Trolley shuttle schedule. “Taking Steps” t-shirts can be purchased on the website and at the event.
About Sarpy County Earth Day
Green Bellevue expanded the city’s Earth Day celebration to include the entire county in 2014. The Sarpy County Earth Day is hosted by Sarpy County, the City of Bellevue, Bellevue Public Schools. Both Green Bellevue and the newly formed Green Gretna are coordinating this years event.
Sponsors of this year’s event include Sarpy County, Papillion Sanitation, Beardmore Subaru, Hefty Energy Bag, Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, Papio-Missouri River NRD, ROI Consulting, Inc., Hillside Solutions, Fontenelle Forest, Cox Communications, Butler County Landfill, ConvergenceCoaching, LLC, OPPD, Black Hills Energy, Bellevue University, Tobacco Education & Advocacy of the Midlands (T.E.A.M.), Joy Creations Cards, Sierra Club, Nebraskans for Solar, CLS Laundry. In addition to individual donors.
Past themes have included “Do Your Part”, “Lighten the Load to the Landfill” and “Pass Up Plastics”. This year’s theme is “Taking Steps to a Cleaner Future.” The group is asking that the hash tag #SarpyCleanerFuture be used when promoting the 2019 event on social media.
About Green Bellevue
Green Bellevue started as a Mayor-appointed green team, holding its first meeting in September 2009. Green Bellevue incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization in May 2010. The organization is mainly comprised of volunteers who work with the support of our city leaders to promote a more beautiful and environmentally friendly community. It is a grassroots effort comprised of individual citizens, businesses and organizations, schools, and public entities from Bellevue, Sarpy County, and the greater metro area. Green Bellevue helps individuals and groups undertake programs to enhance our neighborhoods, preserve our natural resources, and foster stewardship of our environment.
For more information about Green Bellevue and upcoming meetings and events, visit http://www.greenbellevue.org and http://www.facebook.com/Green.Bellevue.
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