CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia will celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day on Saturday, April 22 with a full schedule of fun, hands-on, and educational programs that will bring together residents, students, business owners, farmers, and energy experts.

Twenty-six groups are participating in this year’s celebration, which is focused on providing people with tools and expertise to save energy, lower their carbon footprint, and save money.

“Providing people in our community with the tools and resources to have access to [new] technologies seemed like the most useful thing we could provide during Earth Day,” said Earth Day organizer Geoffrey Navias. “Right now, there is an opportunity and it’s a great way for people to help themselves. How we heat our homes, how we light them, how we power our cars, this is all changing. There have been really great advancements. These technologies are much more efficient and use less energy, and we do less damage to the environment. Right now, the new state and federal programs are [starting] to roll out, and there are amazing incentive and rebate programs that can be tapped. Cazenovia is a beautiful area, and we are in a great position to be a leader that other towns emulate. It is also kind of fun; I have solar on the roof of our house, and along with powering the house, we store the power in our electric car’s battery. It’s a great feeling not to have to pay gas prices.”

The day will start off with multiple clean-up projects around town. Project Café’s student members will lead a general village clean-up starting at 11 a.m., and the Cazenovia Garden Club will be cleaning up Gypsy Bay and the south shore of the lake at 10 a.m.

The community’s annual Chittenango Creek clean-up will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Volunteers should meet at the Buyea’s parking lot dressed for the weather and wearing old clothes and boots. Trash bags will be provided, and gloves will be available to borrow.

Volunteers of all ages are welcome, but minors must be accompanied by an adult.

This event is sponsored by Cazenovia College’s environmental club, fishing club, Alpha Lambda Delta First Year Honor Society, Alpha Phi Omega National Community Service Fraternity, and alumni association, as well as the Madison County Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Scout Troop 18, the CNY Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, and the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF).

According to Dr. Thad Yorks, professor of biology and environmental biology at Cazenovia College, the annual clean-up typically results in the removal of about two pick-up truckloads of trash from the creek and its surrounding banks.

Traditionally organized by the Cazenovia College Environmental Club, the Chittenango Creek clean-up has been an annual event since the early 2000s.

According to Yorks, coordinating the event mainly involves pinning down a date, getting permission from Buyea’s for parking, getting the word out as much as possible, figuring out what specific areas of the creek to focus on, snapping a few photos of the volunteers, securing a couple of pickup trucks, taking on the cost of disposing of the trash, and providing “super heavy duty” trash bags and gloves.

“How many areas [of the creek] we hit depends on how many people show up, and that is largely dictated by the weather,” said Yorks. “If we get cruddy weather, we tend to get fewer, and if we get superb weather, we tend to get fewer. Somewhere in the middle, I think, is where we get the most participation.”

Given the news that the college will be closing prior to the start of the fall 2023 semester, there is now a need for a new group to lead the creek cleanup.

Last week, Kathleen Benedict, president of the Cazenovia High School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), proposed that her organization take over the responsibility, and Yorks agreed enthusiastically.

“It’s the most worthwhile two hours of a Saturday morning when volunteers clean up the creek that we all walk by, drive by, play next to, fish in, kayak down, and much more,” said Benedict, who has participated in the cleanup with her son, Zack, for a number of years. “Although not always visible, the creek runs through our entire town.

Benedict also said she thinks it makes complete sense for the PTSA to organize the event because of the role the creek plays in the high school community.

“In the past, many students have earned community service hours for graduation through this cleanup event,” she said. “The creek also serves as a location for science lessons. For example, biology lessons might include sampling for pollutant-sensitive and tolerant species, and the creek serves as a specific location for teaching water quality in environmental conservation courses. Nearly all Cazenovia High School students have some sort of experience with Chittenango Creek. The PTSA aims to support the high school community in any way that it can. The Cazenovia High School PTSA is looking forward to continuing the annual creek clean-up event.”

On Earth Day morning, residents and visitors can also join the Village of Cazenovia Tree Commission at 9 a.m. to take part in the planting of a tree behind the library.

From noon to 4 p.m., the green at Memorial Park will be transformed into the Great Electric Vehicle Car Show.

“In the coming years as we all are transitioning to electric cars, it is hard to know what [the options are],” said the United Climate Action Network (UCAN) in a press release announcing the Earth Day events. “This is a great opportunity now to see the range of vehicles being offered and [to talk] with area people who own them. There are no sales representatives, so no pressure to buy, and you can get honest evaluations as to the owner’s experience.”

Electric bikes and scooters will also be on display. Additionally, parents, students, and others will have the opportunity to climb aboard an electric school bus.

Memorial Park will also host student-led art projects, a children’s seed planting activity with a Master Gardener from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, and various other environmental explorations.

Throughout the afternoon, 16 local groups, such as the CPF, UCAN, and the Village of Cazenovia Tree Commission, will be teaming up with regional and national organizations, like the United States Forest Service, National Grid, and Heat Smart, to present “Going Green ~ Saving Green” displays and workshops in the Presbyterian Church Meeting Hall. Topics will range from nature and art, soil testing, and heat pumps, to renewable energy, recycling at the high school, and re-establishing the American Chestnut Tree.

The full schedule of events can be found at unitedclimateaction.org/schedule-of-events/.

Trash to Treasure competition

UCAN is inviting local inventors, tinkerers, artists, and other interested individuals to participate in its second “Trash to Treasure” up-cycling/repurposing competition.

Competitors will be challenged to transform household items that might otherwise end up in the garbage or recycling bin into useful tools, toys, works of art, or treasures.

The “reinvented junk” submissions can be delivered to the Presbyterian Church Meeting Hall on April 22 at 11 a.m. If an item is too large, bring photos.

All the creations will be displayed at the church from 12 to 4 p.m. and featured on the UCAN website.

Prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges.

There are no age restrictions or limitations on the number of submissions. However, all entries must include repurposed objects, trash, and/or recyclables.

To participate, send an email to [email protected] with “Trash to Treasure” in the subject line and your name, contact information, and a brief description of your submission (including size for display purposes) in the text.