EGG HARBOR (NBC26) — Today is Earth Day, but in Door County, celebrating our planet and finding ways to make it more beautiful are daily occurrences.
A weekend full of events kicks off today with the county's ‘Every Day is Earth Day’ program. The goal is to educate residents and encourage them to make small changes that will have a big impact on their environment.
“You have to think globally and act locally," said Dave LaLuzerne, Event Coordinator for Every Day is Earth Day.
Global problems like melting glaciers, rising water levels and deforestation can seem distant to Wisconsinites, but evidence of climate change is right here in our backyards, said LaLuzerne.
“We only have a small layer of soil above the bed rock," he said. "So we really need to make sure that we do something to preserve that.”
At 6 p.m. tonight, there will be a virtual event with information from local earth-caring organizations as well as a viewing of the climate documentary, “Kiss the Earth." All day Saturday there will be free events at the Kress Pavillion in Egg Harbor, like yoga and an herb walk. Sunday, community members can learn more about watersheds at the Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay. It's not late for everyone to do something, said Lydia Semo, Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator for the Village of Egg Harbor.
“Looking at the big picture, at climate change and other sustainable initiatives globally, can be kind of scary because it seems so large, and it seems like such a big problem that you can’t solve on your own," she said. "But that’s not the case. We can break it down and how you can act locally and really encourage folks to take part in small, sustainable initiatives.“
The Climate Change Coalition of door county started “The Big Plant," an effort to plant 5,000 trees. So far, individuals and organizations have already ordered more than 14,000.
“They sequester carbon," said Semo. "And they’re just really good for the environment."
The village of egg harbor is also doing a “No-mow May," encouraging people to not mow their laws for the entire month. Letting early weeds like dandelions and clovers grow and bloom feeds pollinators and encourages biodiversity, said Semo.
“We have these little signs that we’re going to be making that say, 'Pardon the weeds, we’re feeding the bees,'" she said. "And you can put those in your lawn so if someone sees all your weeds on your lawn, they’re not really turned off by it. They see it and think it’s a good thing.“
Earth day is just a reminder that all of our individual actions add up, said Property Manager and Event Director of the Kress Pavillion.
“Every plastic bottle that they throw away, they don’t recycle, every chemical that they use on their lawn, that makes a big impact overall," she said.
You can find more information on Every Day is Earth Day, including a Zoom link for tonight's virtual event and times and locations for this weekend's events, here.
