Ashley Dong/The Daily Northwestern
In the Kids’ Climb, participants were hoisted into a tall tree by workers of the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
Using a rope and pulley system, workers of the Forest Preserves of Cook County hoisted 7-year-old Elliana Rosen to the top of a tree as a crowd of families watched.
One of over 200 attendees at Sunday’s third annual Earth-a-Palooza, the Fairview South Elementary School first grader said she “went as far as the world could go.”
The “eco-friendly family fun fest,” hosted by Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita and community partners, attracted an intergenerational crowd with various activities to celebrate Earth Month.
“We want to engage the next generation of climate change advocates to love nature and love the forest preserves from a young age,” Morita said.
Attendees met a red-tailed hawk from the Brookfield Zoo, participated in activities with the Junior Ranger program and learned about community environmental efforts.
Several local environmental groups also hosted tables at Earth-a-Palooza, including Collective Resource Compost Cooperative, North Branch Restoration Project, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Climate Action Evanston.
Jack Jordan, executive director of Climate Action Evanston, said he spent the day meeting “people who are in the beginning stages of their sustainability journey” and encouraging them to stay informed.
“I think what they can take away is that, over the course of your life, you can accomplish a tremendous amount, and Evanston residents and volunteers are a prime example of that,” Jordan said.
Mary Beth Schaye, a zero waste consultant, represented the Collective Resource Compost Co-op at Earth-a-Palooza. At her table, Schaye sold countertop containers for compost and “zero waste bags” for hard-to-recycle items. She encouraged composting as a way for residents to reduce their carbon footprint.
“Composting is the easiest climate change mitigation because when food scraps go to landfill, they create methane, a greenhouse gas,” Schaye said. “The way to solve that is to not send them there.”
Schaye uses a zero waste bag at home for film plastic. After enjoying a piece of candy from a neighboring table, Schaye tucked the wrapper in her pocket to properly dispose of it at home.
Sunday’s event took place in Morton Grove’s Linne Woods, which contributes to Cook County’s 70,000 acres of forest preserves.
In addition to acquiring land parcels, the Forest Preserves focuses its efforts on restoring land and creating community spaces like Linne Woods. By building shelters, creating picnic areas and making everything accessible by the Americans with Disability Act, Morita said the Forest Preserves is “doing expansion, but also improvements.”
“There’s a lot of anxiety about the state of the world, and the forest preserves is an amazing place to come and heal and take a break,” Morita said.
The event wrapped up at 3 p.m., and families walked away with “Josina Morita” tote bags filled with educational pamphlets and free snacks.
Morita said it was great to see the diversity of the community reflected at Earth-a-Palooza. She brought both of her children to enjoy the event with her.
“If this is something that’s special for me and my family, I hope it’s special for others,” Morita said.
Email: a.dong@dailynorthwestern.com
X: @ashleydong01
Related Stories:
— Sustainability clubs raise awareness about the environment with Snowstainability Ball
— Evanston Environment Board drops fossil fuels divestment, recommends updates to leaf blower ordinance
— Evanston Environmental Justice Conversation Series hosts environmental equity speaker, panel