Hailey Helms
Staff Writer
Claremont hosted its annual Earth Day Celebration Sunday in the Claremont Village.
The Earth Day Celebration was a free event with a mission to acknowledge environmental issues, advertise eco-friendly products and create a fun and educational environment for the community.
It was also the eastern-most hub for CicLAvia, a car-free event where major streets through the cities of San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona and Claremont were closed to promote active transportation and healthy living. The Claremont Village was filled with booths, live music, food trucks, school exhibits and more.
“I have never been to an event like this one, so it was really eye-opening to learn more about environmental problems through these booths,” Sarah Sutton, junior nursing student at Point Loma Nazarene University, said. “I also really like the live music.”
Claremont city staff who participated in this event said they hoped people would step out of their comfort zone and learn more about environmentally friendly transportation.
“It’s a chance to get people to move around in different ways, so that can become more of a habit and you can see more … people getting out of cars,” said Claremont assistant city manager Colin Tudor.
Car dealerships showcased their electric models, including the Model S Tesla and 2018 hybrid Honda.
Instead of driving cars to celebrate Earth Day, many rode bikes to the event. Among them were students from Harvey Mudd College who were part of the film “Bicycle Revolution.”
“It’s more fun, it’s more healthy, it’s more green, it’s just so good,” said Ben Lehman, junior engineering major at Harvey Mudd. “The bike is a fantastic vehicle.”
The Children’s Foundation of America, a nonprofit organization in Claremont, also had a booth set up and handed out seed paper in the shape of Earth which guests could plant and watch wild flowers grow.
“I encourage other people to participate, so we can create a bigger community, a stronger community and connect with other people, grow our volunteer base and our connections,” AmeriCorps VIP fellow Marie Maghuyop said.
Some booths sold vibrant flowers, while others sold locally grown foods such as fresh oranges, apples and other fruits at the farmers market.
Claremont’s Sumner Danbury Elementary School’s green team had a booth for rock painting and making bird feeders out of recycled milk cartons and string.
“We just want the people that come to the booth to be aware of the things that they can use around their house to be more earth friendly,” said Denise Klinovsky, Sumner Danbury teacher. “And to care for our earth and the animals and to have fun.”
Klinovsky said the green team at Sumner Danbury recycles every Friday.
“We’re the generation that has the opportunity to make a change in this world and this event provides opportunity to give us the education make a change,” Sutton said.
Hailey Helms can be reached at hailey.helms@laverne.edu.
