By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Taking care of the earth can mean learning some new lessons. Like how to make your own household cleaners, what shouldn’t be flushed down your toilet, and how to turn old T-shirts into reusable grocery bags.
These lessons and more were shared Sunday at the 10th annual community celebration of Earth Day on the grounds of the Montessori School in Bowling Green.
“We all come together as a big group to carry on the momentum” of individual Earth Day activities, Bowling Green Sustainability Coordinator Amanda Gamby said.
“Earth Day has turned into Earth Week, and into Earth Month,” Gamby said as she helped children learn about items that can cause harm when they enter storm drains.
The annual event featured 13 entities trying to make earth-friendly activities fun. Setting up learning stations were groups like the Wood County Master Gardeners, Bowling Green Parks and Recreation, Bowling Green Tree Commission, Bowling Green Sustainability, Wood County Park District, ODNR Scenic Rivers, BGSU Environmental Programs, Wood County District Public Library, Ohio EPA, Wood County Solid Waste District, and the Northwestern Water and Sewer District.
“We are learning about our earth and how to keep it healthy and safe,” said Diane Trabbic, advancement director at the Montessori School. “It’s definitely an education for the whole family. It’s something we’re all a part of.”
As she looked around at all the organizations involved, Trabbic noted the value of bringing together people who care about the environment.
“It can be a forceful group when we get all the passionate people together,” she said.
At one station, Jason Sisco was showing children just how much energy it takes to power an LED light bulb as compared to an incandescent light bulb. Children lined up to pedal the bicycle, trying to generate enough energy to turn on light bulbs, a radio, a small fan and a hairdryer.
The LED bulb and radio came on with little effort, but turning on the incandescent bulb and hairdryer had the children pedaling furiously.
Over at the station for the Wood County Park District, visitors learned how native plants are more flood and drought resistant, and are better filters than lawn grass. As part of the district’s “Go Green” message, visitors had the chance to make home cleaners that are friendly to kids, pets and the environment – all while costing less.
“So win-win, right,” said Jamie Sands, volunteer services and communications specialist with the county park district.
At the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation station, children were making leaf prints and learning about water. Cinda Stutzman said the topic may not have been as flashy as last year’s focus on Monarch butterflies – but it was important.
Knowing that Bowling Green City Council is considering a ban or fee on single-use plastic bags, the BGSU environmental strategies students set up a station helping people create their own grocery bags out of old T-shirts.
“We knew the city was already talking about a plastic bag ban,” so why not show people an alternative, said Holly Myers, who teaches environmental strategies classes at BGSU.
The students showed how to make three different bag designs – two that don’t require sewing.
“Most people have an old T-shirt,” Myers said. And if they don’t, Myers picked up a bunch for the Earth Day event at Goodwill for $1.50 each.
The T-shirt bags can be thrown into the washer and dryer, which should eliminate concerns about cross contamination from reusing grocery bags, she said.
“You can wash these are often as you wash a T-shirt,” she said.
The environmental strategies students also plan on conducting an unofficial survey for downtown merchants and shoppers about the possible plastic bag ban or fee.
