Santa Fe Earth Day Events

From the City of Santa Fe:
Earth Day this Saturday is a time to commemorate gains we have made to protect our planet and to create new momentum for a healthy, sustainable environment. Here is a list of upcoming events for Santa Fe residents to join together in the spirit of Earth Day and beautify our community:

Great American Clean Up: Saturday, April 21, 2007. Registration is from 7 to 9 AM. Trash bags will be provided at the Parks, Trails and Watershed Division Building 1142 Siler Road. Organize a clean up in your neighborhood or clean another area of interest. A volunteer picnic will be held from 12 noon until 2 PM at the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station, 1686 Paseo de Vista.

All Species Day/Earth Day Celebration hosted by Ecoversity: Saturday, April 21, at Frenchy's Field Park. The All Species Day Parade starts at Frenchy’s Field at 11 AM with performers; the parade then makes its way to the Ecoversity campus (2639 Agua Fria) at noon and the celebration goes until sunset.

SFCC Discovery Day: Saturday, April 21, at Santa Fe Community College, from 10 AM to 2 PM. At 10 AM, watch a slide presentation based on “An Inconvenient Truth” given by environmental ambassador Doug Stewart, who was trained by Al Gore. At 11:15 AM, watch a free screening of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” For more information call 428-1604.

FREE Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off Day: Sunday, April 22, 2007 from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station, 1686 Paseo de Vista. Accepted items include acids, batteries, cleaners, medicines, poisons, paints (latex and oil), photo chemicals, thermometers, smoke detectors, weed killer, auto fluids, insect killers, thinners and solvents. Items that will NOT be accepted include: ammunition, explosives, radioactive waste and commercial wastes.

City of Santa Fe Green Facts:

Did you know that every single one of Santa Fe Trails 25 buses (fixed route fleet) is powered by clean burning compressed natural gas (CNG)?

Did you know that the city has over 40 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet and that all worn out or failed equipment is replaced with energy star or LEED-approved units?

Did you know that three major city construction projects – the Railyard, civic center and Southside Library – will serve as models for water conservation? All three projects incorporate a mix of water conservation and water harvesting strategies.

Did you know that the City is about to hire a contractor to convert the city code from the Uniform Building Code to the performance-based International Building Code? This conversion is a necessary first step to addressing what green building standards in Santa Fe cold look like.

Did you know that the City of Santa Fe recently established a “Green Team,” an interdepartmental group of city staff that have volunteered to work on “green” goals set by the City Council?

Did you know that the new civic center construction will reflect Santa Fe's leadership in both green design and greenhouse gas reduction? The new building will be constructed to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating, a national standard for developing high-performance sustainable buildings. Southside Library and Railyard has water harvesting systems.

Did you know that Santa Fe raised the bar for green design after Santa Fe became the first U.S. city to adopt the Architecture 2030 Challenge? The 2030 Challenge is a national effort to systematically reduce and finally reverse the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created during construction and operation of buildings by the year 2030.

Did you know that as a result of a resolution, introduced by Councilor Matthew Ortiz, Discovery Audits has been conducting an audit of the city’s energy and telecommunication, looking for errors, efficiencies and needs?

Did you know that the City of Santa Fe Water Conservation Office offers rebates for water efficient washing machines and hot water recirculators?