Malibu celebrates 40th Earth Day

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Young dancers take part in the grand entrance dance during the Chumash Day Pow-wow. Photo by Devon Meyers

Numerous events, including a special performance dedicated to Emily Rose Shane, are taking place this week in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times

Malibu continues with its civic leadership in all things eco-friendly this weekend, with several events celebrating Earth Day. About 20 million people from throughout the country participated in the first Earth Day event 40 years ago, which was launched on April 22, 1970,by Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson to highlight awareness of the planet’s fragile ecosystems. This week, Malibu joins about one billion global “acts of green.” If you missed last weekend’s celebrations, there are some further local activities to honor and protect Mother Earth.

Malibu Country Mart’s Eco Expo & Home Tour

More than 40 vendors will open their doors to showcase eco-friendly clothing, water systems, solar power companies and vegetarian/vegan victuals at the Malibu Country Mart on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by and trade carbon theories with LEED architects, and schmooze with Nobel Peace Prize winner Woodrow Clark II about his new book “Sustainable Communities” and see how the Country Mart has gone green, from a chemical-free playground for your children, to recycled restroom supplies to a biofuels program that provides car drivers with biodiesel fuel made from the recycled vegetable oil from the Mart’s restaurants.

The Eco Home Tour takes off from Pepperdine and tours some of the most environmentally friendly homes in Malibu, including actress Jane Seymour’s solar-heated swimming pool. The tour finishes at the Mart so participants can learn more about the eco-friendly products they just saw in practice. The tour begins at 11 a.m. and requires registration. Cost of the Eco Home Tour is $25 ($10 for seniors and students), but the Expo is free. Further information and reservations can be found by calling 310.456.9025 or online at www.malibu.org.

The City of Malibu Eco Fair

The city is co-sponsoring Eco Fair, in collaboration with local youth to promote a reduceable, reusable and recyclable lifestyle. Along with Malibu’s Eco Hero Kids, Malibu Friends of Music, the Malibu Chamber Ballet and the Malibu Civic & Concert Ballet, students from the Young Actors Project all join together in a production of “The Secret to Tin Can City,” an original musical, dancing extravaganza that examines individual responsibility and protecting earth’s natural resources.

The performance is being dedicated to Emily Rose Shane, who was killed in a motorist incident earlier this month.

“Emily’s passion was to clean the earth,” City Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich said. “The children will perform ‘The Secret to Tin Can City’ as a way to celebrate Emily’s vision.”

Two performances are scheduled: Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the new Malibu City Hall (23825 Stuart Ranch Rd.). The Eco Fair, with demonstrations on living an environmentally friendly life, begins at City Hall at 4 p.m. Saturday and is free. Tickets for the performances are $10 and can be ordered by calling 310.456.2489 or by visiting the Web site www.ci.malibu.ca.us and clicking on the appropriate link.

Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2010

Just across the mountain, the Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo offers demonstrations, entertainment, sustainability workshops and environmental speakers at what is billed as “the largest Earth Day celebration in the greater Los Angeles area.” Featured entertainers include Malibu’s Eco Hero Kids and exhibitors cover everything from edible gardens to pollution prevention. Bring your own reusable water bottle though—this event is “plastic bottle-free.”

The event is free and takes place Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Highland Hall Waldorf School, 17100 Superior Street, Northridge, Calif. 91325. More information can be found by online at www.wcwpexpo.com.

Beach cleanup

This Saturday, the California State Parks Foundation hosts the 13th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup Project at 25 state parks, including at Malibu Lagoon State Beach, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Volunteers, who will help remove trash and debris, graffiti and nonnative vegetation, can register at www.calparks.org.

For those who missed last weekend’s activities, Heal the Bay sponsored a beach clean up at Santa Monica where approximately 2,000 volunteers showed up with trash bags to rid the sands of garbage.

Two hundred-plus volunteers gathered in Malibu Creek State Park to clean the streambeds and help restore Malibu Creek’s biodiversity.

The Santa Monica Mountains Natural History Association hosted a special Whale Fest that saw participants gathering at Leo Carrillo State Park to celebrate the successful return of the California grey whale from the brink of extinction, thanks to growing awareness of the threat to our oceans.

The 11th Annual Topanga Earth Day Festival featured a Topanga Creek cleanup led by eco warrior Rosi Dagit of the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, music, yoga demonstrations and an eco fair.