Earth Day?

Earth Day is coming up this weekend.  It's something that I've always felt conflicted about, to be honest.  Often, it feels like we are presented with extremes and no middle ground when it comes to the environment.   It seems like it's Greenpeace or it's just a guy in his yard burning trash.  I think that we as a people have learned more about what the average person can do to help bring down simple problems such as littering and waste.  But the thing is, it's not often easy to do in our smaller locations.  In the more urban areas,  I'll see a blue recycling box on every lawn.  Here, I don' t even know if there's a way to recycle other than bringing out my stuff to the drop off.  I know people who have kept their aluminum cans in the shed for years and just keep adding to them, because they never get out there.  I also know that I'm just as guilty as everyone else about not bringing back my plastic sacks to the store or remembering to use the bag I bought to replace those things.  It often seems so overwhelming that we're often intimidated into doing nothing at all.   But, there is a chance to learn, I've found.

And, upcoming is a chance to do something fun with the kids locally to learn about Earth Day and the ways that you can utilize environmentally friendly stuff at your own home without going all out and actually having to kiss a tree.

Bright Hope Farm is going to have an all Earth Day celebration.  It's on the 22nd and it's from 11 am to 5 pm, with free admission.  They're giving out free trees to the first 100 visitors, and you can check out a petting zoo, crafts, food, spinners, soap felting (I am not even sure I know what that IS, so that's interesting), games, furniture from recycled pallets and a master gardener booth.  They're going to have sustainable, frugal classes that will teach you to reduce, reuse and recycle and also how to compost your kitchen and yard waste, and also to make eco friendly cleaning products.

Here's how you get to the farm:  Go 9 miles North of Sedalia on 65 Highway.  Turn East on Kemp Road.  Go 4 1/2 miles til the blacktop turns to gravel at the bottom of the hill.  It's a big bump, so go slow.  Then, you continue to the crossroads, turn left on Farmers City Road, and it's the first house on the right.  They'll have signs, so you can follow those too.  If you need to call or email, you can contact them at brighthopefarm@wildblue.net  or call 660-221-7364

Let's all go on out and have a good time for MOTHER EARTH.  After all she's done for you, the least you can do is clean up a bit after you do your thing.  And it doesn't have to be a huge inconvenience,  and you know you'll be doing the right thing.  It'll be fun!  If nothing else, bring the kids and let them run around and tire out while you learn.