By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
As a certified NYS “Climate Smart Community,” Cazenovia is part of a network of communities engaged in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving climate resilience.
This spring, the community will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day (April 22) with Cazenovia Earth Week, held April 18-25 at various locations.
“[It’s about] coming together to celebrate the wonderful and beautiful place that we live; educating ourselves about what we are and can be doing; and taking action here in our homes, neighborhoods and community to save our planet,” said Earth Week organizer Geoffrey Navias.
The week of activities is presented by 35 area organizations.
“It is really a community effort,” said Navias. “The number of groups involved keeps growing. I love that there is a real mix of people working on this, from the rotary club, to the American Legion, to the preservation foundation, to the Caz College Pokémon Go Club . . . I’ve had fun finding out what [everyone] is doing . . .”
All area children and students are invited to participate in the One Planet Youth Fair at the United-Climate Action Network’s (U-CAN) third annual “Seize the Power” Climate & Energy Action Fair on Saturday, April 18 at Cazenovia College.
The renewable energy fair will bring together local residents, students, business owners, farmers and industry experts for a hands-on afternoon of learning about the community’s climate-smart future.
The event will feature panel presentations, interactive displays, renewable energy exhibits, solar & geothermal vendors, climate change problems and solutions, and cutting edge technologies.
The youth science fair will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Hubbard Hall.
“We take the side two walls of the college cafeteria and we set up tables all around,” Navias said. “It’s kind of a different environment. The college kids come in to have their brunch and there are all these younger kids around [presenting their work].”
Preschool age children and students in grades K-12 can participate by submitting a scientific investigation or demonstration, a poster or a speech related to climate change, environmental issues or renewable energy.
The youth fair will feature five age categories: preschool-kindergarten, grades 1-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, and grades 10-12.
Students from the environmental studies program at Cazenovia College will judge each category independently based on relevance, workability, neatness and presentation.
First and second place prizes — $25 and $10, respectively — will be awarded to each age group.
All participants will receive ribbons and certificates of participation.
For project ideas and examples, visit climatekids.nasa.gov/science-fair.
Registration and permission forms are available at unitedclimateaction.org/u-can/one-planet-youth-fair/.
Forms must be filled out and returned to Committee Chair Elizabeth Crofut at [email protected] by April 3, 2020.
On Thursday, April 23, E.J. Evans will present an Earth-themed open poetry reading at Loka Leaf Tea Lounge at 7 p.m.
Evans is a poet and musician based in Cazenovia. His most recent book of poetry is “Conversations with the Horizon.” He has also contributed poetry and prose poetry to Poetry East, RHINO Poetry, Rattle, Confrontation, New Mexico Poetry Review, Stone Canoe, Mudfish, and other journals.
The event is open to anyone interested in sharing poems with themes of earth, the environment, ecology or nature.
Participants are invited to read their own original poems or their favorite works by other poets.
“Each person will get to read up to three poems,” said Evans. “ . . . We are hoping to get a lot of participation and to have a lot of diverse poetic voices.”
Sign ups will take place at the time of the event.
Details on all of the Earth Week events will be posted online soon at unitedclimateaction.org/events. A finalized schedule will also be displayed in the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce window on Albany Street.
