Pine offers plenty for inaugural Earth Day celebration

Pine Community Center was buzzing on April 27 as residents and visitors came out to join in the festivities of the township’s first-ever Earth Day event.

The day was packed with fun activities and educational opportunities from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. All-day features included a local vendor market, food trucks, refill-your-own-candle-booth by Chez Lapin, activity and information booths, recycling opportunities, and giveaways.

“Collaborating with local vendors and organizations helped us create a fun, family-friendly event that focused on sustainability and showcased the efforts of all who participated. With this being the Township’s first Earth Day Event, it’s exciting to see how much of an impact the event made in our community and surrounding areas,” township planner Kirsten “KP” Primm said.

Food truck offerings included Baires, Delina’s EthioCafe, Hermes, Mr. Bulgogi, Pgh Crepes, the Coop Chicken and Waffles, the Twisted Potato and VAYA. The vendor market showcased the likes of GetBlok Farms, Haffey Family Farm, Harvest Valley Farms, Heritage Hollow Farm, and Fessides Farm & Apiary.

Kids had a chance to attend a book reading and signing presented by Jessica Alexanderson of Seattle, president of the metal-recycling organization Scrap University Kids.

Pine-Richland School District hosted a recycled/upcycled fashion show, which had open registration for community members to be featured as models. The main hallway of the PCC exhibited a recycled/upcycled art show courtesy of Pine-Richland students.

In addition to the all-day festivities, the Earth Day event featured a variety of free workshops in the afternoon, including a wildlife talk with live animals by Stormy Oaks Nature Conservancy, a nature talk with Latodami Nature Center, and a recycling talk with the Pennsylvania Resources Council.

Attendees were also able to learn more about the Community Supported Agriculture Program from Haffey Family Farm. Community Cultures and CRAFT at Chatham University hosted a “wild fermented soda” activity, where residents and visitors could create and taste their own drinks.

Residents had the opportunity to bring their scrap metal, aluminum cans, holiday lights, glass, and cardboard to be recycled by Michael Brothers Hauling and Recycling. All money associated with scrap metal recycling will be used to purchase Scrap University Kids books for Pine-Richland elementary schools.