MACON, Ga. — It’s Earth Day this weekend, and there are plenty of events taking place in Macon-Bibb and central Georgia to highlight the importance of keeping our planet healthy.
While it is great to get out and take part in Earth Days festivities, Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful is reminding people that this work goes far beyond just one day.
“Earth Day is every day for us,” Executive Director Asha Ellen said. “But of course, we’re looking forward to celebrating this year's Earth Day and helping to bring more awareness to our community about preserving and saving our planet.”
Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful helps to beautify the community through planting trees, cleaning litter, and other beautification efforts. While Earth Day shines greater light on the importance of this work, Ellen said that keeping Macon beautiful is an all-year thing.
“We’re a very small non-profit organization – we’re a team of two,” Ellen said. “We could not do what we do without the support and local engagement in the community… Macon-Bibb is a really strong community and we have a strong base of citizens who want the best for this community.”
But when Earth Day comes around, it helps get more people out.
“It really shouldn’t be limited to just one day,” Ellen said. “Earth Day may be a great day to start – but it cannot be a finish. We need to keep practicing the mission of Earth Day every day if we want to have a clean and healthy planet.”
Throughout Central Georgia, there are plenty of organizations offering ways for you to get involved in Earth Day festivities. Here's some of what you can do this weekend:
Macon:
It’s the 13th annual Earth Day Festival happening at Amerson River Park Saturday. It’s a kid-friendly event with face painting, educational exhibits and so much more. Plus, Bike Tech Macon is giving away five bicycles and helmets to kids at the event.
Where: Amerson River Park behind
When: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dillards and Origins Macon are celebrating Earth Day with yoga, complimentary facials and a sampling of Earth-friendly cosmetics. The organizers ask for interested participants to call (478)-474-4545.
Where: Dillard's at the Shoppes at River Crossing, 5080 Riverside Drive
When: Saturday, April 22, 12 p.m.
- If you want to join a local cleaning event, you can call the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful at (478)-330-7054, visit their website or follow their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Perry:
Perry will be hosting the “Perry Trash Dash” to help encourage people to get out and help keep Perry clean. At the end of the event, all the trash picked up will be weighed and then the total will be posted on Perry’s social media account. The first 150 registrants will get a free t-shirt, which can then be tie-dyed later during the event. You can register here.
Where: Perry Events Center
Time: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. window to pick up supplies and t-shirts
Milledgeville:
Pick up a plant at the Lockerly Plant Sale at the Lockerly Arboretum! The sale is open to everyone, but members of the arboretum will have first-dibs when the sale kicks off for them first Friday at 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. But after that, the two-day event is open to everyone.
Where: Lockerly Arboretum 1534 Irwinton Rd, Milledgeville, GA, United States, Georgia
When: Friday through Saturday