Earth Day 2018 held at career center
Five year old Briley Hamilton proudly shows off the beautiful butterfly she created at Earth Day 2018 held on Saturday, April 21 at the Coshocton County Career Center. Briley’s aunt Katie Spaulding brought her to the event. Jen Jones | Beacon
COSHOCTON – The Third annual Earth Day was held at the Coshocton County Career Center on Saturday, April 21. More than 50 vendors were set up around the school to help raise awareness of the environment and how everyone can help protect it.
Tim Kettler, member of Coshocton Environmental and Community Awareness, who sponsored the event, said the group’s goal is to increase awareness of environmental issues, the natural beauty of the area, an appreciation of natural resources and outdoor sporting activities. “I’m very close to environmental issues, especially water quality,” said Kettler. “We hope that everyone who attends Earth Day will come away with a greater appreciation of the environment and how to take steps to improve and protect it.”
“This is a community building effort to help people feel more connected to nature. It’s also lots of fun for everyone.”
As people walked into the school, they had a chance to see a completely electric car – a Chevrolet Bolt, owned by Jeanne McKinney. She and her late husband, Jim, purchased the car in February and love it. The car will run about 220 miles before it needs to be charged again.
“Jim drove it to work. He would call ahead and see if there was a place to charge his car and let it charge while he worked, then drove to the next place,” said Jeanne. “This one will also recharge as you drive it.” The couple also installed solar panels at their home.
Tammi Rogers, program director of Coshocton County Recycling and Litter Prevention, brought her box of “red wiggler” worms to show how easy it is to compost household paper and food waste into a nearly perfect potting soil. “About 25 percent of household trash is food waste and another 20-25 percent is paper. The worms will eat all of that and break it down.” Rogers keeps her box of worms in her office to show how easy it is to do.
“The soil is perfect for containers to start seeds. All of the nutrients the seeds need are already in it so you don’t have to use fertilizer. This is a wonderful way to recycle that most people don’t think about,” said Rogers. After hearing about vermicomposting at several conferences, Rogers decided she wanted to try it. A friend gave her her first worms. “I do want people to know if they want to try this, they need to purchase red wiggler worms. Earthworms and night crawlers are escape artists and they will get out of your box – not something you want if you keep the box in your house!”
Rogers’ display also showed everything that can be recycled in the county. Anyone who lives within the city can leave their recyclables with their trash, but for all others, there are recycling locations all over the county. Residents can leave newspapers, steel cans, cardboard, aluminum cans and plastics #1-7. Glass is not accepted in these trailers, but it can be dropped off at Skip’s Refuse.
Tires, computers, old ink cartridges, fluorescent light bulbs, used building materials, motor oil and antifreeze are all accepted in the county at different drop offs. The Post Offices in Coshocton, West Lafayette, and Warsaw and the library in Coshocton and West Lafayette have boxes that you can drop off batteries (both alkaline and rechargeable) for recycling. Residents are encouraged to call the Coshocton County Recycling and Litter Prevention at 740-575-4813 for locations to recycle their items.
The Earth Day event also included many tables with activities for children, including making butterflies from coffee filters, painting flower pots and trying their hand at sewing. Greenhouses from the area shared plants and ideas on what would work best in gardens and several people displayed handcrafted items.
For more information on CECA or to share your concerns with them, visit www.cecaware.org.
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