Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide with activities that demonstrate support for Earth’s environment. The Congress Park Neighbors Green Team is establishing a neighborhood tradition of celebrating Earth Day by organizing a community festival where neighbors gather to meet each other, celebrate sustainability-themed goals and neighborhood accomplishments, exchange new ideas and expand our neighborhood commitment to sustainability.

Earth Day 2016

On April 23, 2016, the Green Team hosted it’s first successful Earth Day celebration – Regeneration! Congress Park Earth Day Festival 2016. Over 200 people attended the event and experienced neighbor-to-neighbor greening!

We couldn’t have done it without our sponsors, exhibitors, Green Team members and all that supported and attended the event! Thank you all!

Download Event Flyers with illustrations by Teller Elementary Students

Regeneration! Congress Park Earth Day Festival

Saturday April 23, 2016 2:00 to 6:00 pm

at Capitol Heights Faith Communities

1100 Fillmore St, Denver, CO 80206

The Capitol Heights Faith Communities and the Green Team of Congress Park Neighbors, Inc partnered to host a free Earth Day event for all ages. The event was open to the public at Capitol Heights Faith Communities on 1100 Fillmore Street. Indoor and outdoor activities were held from 2:00 to 5:30 pm. A community music experience led by NOENEMIES began at 5:30 pm indoors.

The festival  featured art, music and hands-on activities at over a dozen stations, indoors and outdoors. At the booths, festival goers learned about renewable energy, composting, recycling, pollinators, and gardening from Congress Park community organizations and experts. The day also included presentations and discussions about regeneration, renewables, green business and what makes a sustainable neighborhood.

What’s in the name? While “sustainability” is focused on maintaining our ecosystems so that they can continue to support life going forward, “regeneration” means that we can work to heal what has been damaged.

Getting there
Walk!
Take the bus: #10 bus runs one block away from the venue.
Carpool: Park on 11th or 12th Avenue.

Exhibitors/Activities
Indoors Lower Level:

• Capitol Heights Greening of the Building (Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church)
• Certifiably Green Business Program (Denver Dept of Environmental Health)
• Congress Park Cleanup (Congress Park Green Team Community Cleanup Committee)
• Denver Energy Challenge (Denver Dept of Environmental Health)
• Festival Zero Waste Management (Boy Scouts Troop #1)
• Garden Foodshare with Metro Caring (Capitol Heights Faith Community)
• Green Mapping: Help Make Congress Park a Sustainable Neighborhood (Congress Park Green Team)
• Handmade Nature Artworks for Sale (EarthLinks Colorado)
• Let’s Talk Trash! Recycle Roundup (Congress Park Green Team Recycling Committee)
• Middle School Science Projects (Good Shepherd Catholic School)
• Seed Bombs for Pollinators (Congress Park Green Team Pollinator Committee)
• Teller Tigers Compost Quiz and Recycle Reminders (Teller Elementary Green Team)

Outdoors:

• Community Gardens (Congress Park Green Team Compost/Garden Committee)
• Composting – 3 Different Ways! (Congress Park Green Team Compost Committee)
• Meet the Trees Mini Hikes (Congress Park Green Team Trees/Sustainable Landscape Committee)
• Meet your Farmer (Monroe Organic Farm CSA)
• Planting Activity in the Community Garden (Capitol Heights Faith Communities)
• Seed Starting (Congress Park Green Team Garden Committee)
• Who’s your Farmer Trivia. (Grant Farms CSA)

Presentations and Music

Indoors in the Sanctuary

• 2:15 Welcome! (Congress Park Neighbors & Congress Park Green Team)
• 2:30 Regeneration! (Capitol Heights Faith Community)
• 3:15 pm Taking responsibility for making the change to a Fossil-Free Future (Fossil Fuel Free Denver)
• 4:00 Certifiably Green Businesses (Denver Dept of Environmental Health, New World Cheese, Green Door Fitness)
• 4:45 pm Helping Congress Park Become a Sustainable Neighborhood (Congress Park Green Team: Steering Committee)
• 5:30 pm Songsharing Workshop and Wrap-up Celebration (NOENEMIES)

Sponsors and Prizes
To help support the Earth Day festival and ongoing sustainability efforts, several of our local neighborhood businesses contributed door prizes.

Thanks for supporting our event!

PRIZES DONATED BY SPONSORS:

• Green Door Fitness (10 workouts with trainer, $250 value) (Certifiably Green Business)
• Mezcal ($50 gift card)
• Hair People (haircut and style, $50 value)
• Positive Energy Works (Juicing without a Juicer Kit and 1 Free Wellness Workshop, $40 value)
• vaVesta (Original Rest Vest, $35 value)
• Annie’s Cafe ($30 total in three $10 gift cards)
• New World Cheese ($25 gift certificate) (Certifiably Green Business)
• Chocolate Lab Denver ($25 gift certificate)
• Under the Umbrella ($25 gift certificate)
• City Floral ($25 gift certificate)
• Chef Zorba’s Greek Restaurant ($20 gift certificate)
• Tattered Cover Book Store ($20 gift certificate)
• Lula Rose General Store ($10 gift card)

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR SPONSORS:

• Councilman Wayne New (flyer printing)
• Trader Joe’s ($50 food donation)
• Margaret Marshall, Porchlight Real Estate Group ($25 donation)
• Sprouts Market ($25 gift card)
• Barb & Mario Rivera (coffee)
• Ace Hardware (organic potting mix for gardening starts)
• 10th Annual Congress Park Neighborhood Peace Walk – Oct 8, 2016 ($100)
• Photography by Jenya Elkin, Elkin Photography
• Photography by Kristina Wienczkowski, I Shoot Happy Photography

Food

Light refreshments were available, served on real dishes!

• Gluten-free and regular sugar cookies from SAME Cafe
• Organic fruit
• Coffee
• Tea

Zero Waste
Our event was as sustainable as possible! We used reusable cups, plates and silverware for food. We composted and recycled everything we could, and kept our landfill waste to an extreme minimum. Thanks to  Boy Scout Troop for helping with these efforts!

 

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DETAILED LISTING

Capitol Heights Greening of the Building (Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church)
Flyers describing the steps taken to green our facility and our lifestyle. Video of the roof mounted solar panels. Information on sources for solar panels on homes.
Call to Action: Mount Solar Panels

Certifiably Green Business Program (Denver Dept of Environmental Health)
Find out how you can green your business, with help from the City of Denver!
Call to Action: Sign up for the Certifiably Green Business program.

Congress Park Cleanup (Congress Park Green Team Community Cleanup Committee)
Learn how to successfully plan an alley cleanup or neighborhood cleanup throughout the year and how to participate in the Great Denver Cleanup on May 21 2016.
Call to Action: Leave with awareness and information needed to participate in Great Denver Cleanup and sign up block captains.

Denver Energy Challenge (Denver Dept of Environmental Health)
Want to know how to save on your gas and electric bills? Get a free consultation with the Denver Energy Challenge.
Call to Action: Sign up for the Denver Energy Challenge.

Festival Zero Waste Management (Boy Scouts Troop #1)
Let’s make this a Zero Waste event! Scouts will help you figure out what you can recycle and compost at the event. Let’s keep our landfill contribution to a minimum. Scouts will staff Zero Waste stations, and weigh and measure resulting trash, and summarize the results.
Call to Action: Minimize your waste during this event.

Garden Foodshare with Metro Caring (Capitol Heights Faith Community)
What will you do with your extra produce this summer? Share it with those in need! CHFM has a garden foodshare program where you can bring excess produce and they will bring it to Metro Caring. As a Denver hunger-relief organization, Metro Caring meets people’s immediate need for food while also addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty.
Call to Action: Find out about the garden foodshare program.

Green Mapping: Help Make Congress Park a Sustainable Neighborhood (Congress Park Green Team)
What makes a neighborhood ‘green’? Give us your suggestions. We are working to put together a map of resources for recycling, gardening, walking, biking and more! Join the Green Team to meet neighbors and make a difference in Congress Park! Help us reach our goal of becoming a Sustainable Neighborhood and apply for the City of Denver Sustainable Neighborhood Network
Call to Action: Contribute your ideas to the map and join the Congress Park Green Team.

Handmade Nature Artworks for Sale (EarthLinks Colorado)
This is your chance to buy beautiful handmade nature art by EarthLinks participants! Our community is made up of people who have experienced or are presently experiencing homelessness. Stop by for a free seed packet!
Call to Action: Become a participant. Volunteer with EarthLinks.

Let’s Talk Trash! Recycle Roundup (Congress Park Green Team Recycling Committee)
Can I recycle this? Can I compost that? Stop by and let’s “talk trash”! We’ll test your trash knowledge with an aim to minimize items that end up in the landfill. Bring your recycling and composting questions and we’ll help you find the answers! You’ll also have a chance to learn about where your recycling goes and to think about the impact you have on the earth with the daily choices you make.
Call to Action: Commit to one behavioral change that positively impacts your recycling or composting habits.
City of Denver Recycling Information
City of Denver Composting Information

Middle School Science Projects (Good Shepherd Catholic School)
Learn from middle school students about the science of nature from plant-based fibers for paper, removal of oil from feathers, clams filtering and cleaning water and the impact of de-icers on roadside vegetation. And if you’ve ever wondered how your food is made, you’ll also get a chance to experience the journey of Plants to Products with several 7th grade projects, such as peaches to peach ice cream.
Call to Action: Use science to understand our impact on the environment.

Seed Bombs for Pollinators (Congress Park Green Team Pollinator Committee)
Mix clay and soil, add a sprinkle of water, a pinch of wildflower seeds and launch your seed bomb in a Congress Park alley just in time for a spring flower explosion.
Call to Action: Sign up for the pollinator promise

Teller Tigers Compost Quiz and Recycle Reminders (Teller Elementary Green Team)
Learn what you can compost at home and school. Find out what Teller Tigers recycle and reuse to help keep Congress Park green!
Call to Action: Learn about home and school composting and how they can contribute to Teller Elementary’s green initiatives.

Who’s your Farmer Trivia (Grant Farms CSA)
Learn about Organic farming and Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA).
Call to Action: Buy locally sourced, organically produced foods for a lasting environmental progress and impact.

Community Gardens (Congress Park Green Team Compost/Garden Committee)
Learn about community gardens and find out how you can start one or join one.
Call to Action: Join or start a community garden.

Composting – Three Different Ways! (Congress Park Green Team Compost Committee)
Learn to compost. Find a great fit for you; we will demonstrate back yard, Bokashi (fermented), and Vermicompost (with worms). You can even make your own worm bin.
Call to Action: Take the information home and start composting and building soil today!
More info: Denver Urban Garden Composting Classes, City of Denver Composting Information

Meet the Trees Mini Hikes (Congress Park Green Team Trees/Sustainable Landscape Committee)
Take a guided mini hike in our neighborhood’s urban forest!
Explore the diversity of trees around us. Witness the unique challenges they face and the simple things we can do to nurture, and care for our leafy canopy. Table will have materials available about Denver Digs Trees’ low-cost tree program and Community Forester Training.
Call to Action: Have more awareness and interest in the care and keeping of our trees along the streets, in our yards and parks.
More info: Denver Forestry, Denver Digs

Meet your Farmer (Monroe Organic Farm CSA)
Meet a local farmer and ask them questions about Community Supported Agriculture. Learn how supporting farmers builds strong communities and a secure food system.
Call to Action: Support healthy local food and farmers.

Planting Activity in the Community Garden (Capitol Heights Faith Communities)
Get your hands dirty! Help us plant something in the CHFM community garden. This garden is open to neighbors to help plant and harvest.
Call to Action: Volunteer with CHFM’s Community Garden

Seed Starting (Congress Park Green Team Garden Committee)
Learn to grow garden vegetables from seeds. We will teach basics, light trouble-shooting, and money-saving tips.
Call to Action: Go home and start growing! Then teach a friend.
More info: Colorado Gardening, CSU Extension

2:15 Welcome! (Congress Park Neighbors & Congress Park Green Team)
Welcome to the Festival!
Call to Action: Help us build community: Join Congress Park Neighbors and theCongress Park Green Team.

2:30 Regeneration! (Capitol Heights Faith Community)
Learn how Capitol Heights Faith Communities embraces the festival’s theme of Regeneration. From installing solar panels on the roof, to building a community garden, housing and feeding the homeless, Pastor Mark Meeks will describe how faith communities can be a force for ecological and social regeneration.
Call to Action: Green your Community! Connect with Interfaith Power and Light. 

3:15 pm Taking responsibility for making the change to a Fossil-Free Future (Fossil Fuel Free Denver)
We, all of us humans, are caught between a necessity and an impossibility. We know that we must stop using fossil fuels. But how? The political climate says that it is impossible. Compare the very real possibilities of the extent of climate destruction, and we see that almost all our most aggressive political leadership is simply tepid. Until we, each of us from our own places of responsibility, act to do what we each can do, our situation is bleak. Already the storm is upon us. But in this case, if we act, it may not be so bleak for our children.
Call to Action: Write a letter to Mayor Hancock asking him to go fossil-fuel free.

4:00 Certifiably Green Businesses (Denver Dept of Environmental Health, New World Cheese, Green Door Fitness)
Find out what it takes to be a Certifiably Green Business! Susan Renaud, Denver Dept of Environmental Health will introduce the benefits and resource available. Hear firsthand experiences with becoming certified from Congress Park certified business owners Teresa St. Peters (New World Cheese) and Matt Hammel (Green Door Fitness).
Call to Action: Sign up for the Certifiably Green Business program.

4:45 pm Helping Congress Park Become a Sustainable Neighborhood (Congress Park Green Team: Steering Committee)
Learn about Denver’s Sustainable Neighborhoods Program and what neighbors can do together to help Congress Park become a Sustainable Neighborhood.
Call to Action: Stop by the info booth to show your support and explore what you can do personally.

5:30 pm Songsharing Workshop (Wrap-up Celebration) (NOENEMIES)
Remembering and recovering the power of song as a community building tool.
Call to Action: You will remember what it feels like to sing together.

AND THE RESULT WAS!!!

Pictures courtesy of Kristina Wienczkowski I shoot Happy