Earth Day at Arthur M. Glick JCC, Apr. 27

Arthur M. Glick JCC. AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2014, all rights reserved.

By Mindi Epstein
Arthur M. Glick JCC
http://jccindy.org/

Visitors young and old are advised to lace up or slide their feet into comfortable walking shoes on Sunday, April 27, 2014, 1-4 pm — there will be a lot of territory to cover at this year’s Earth Day Community Celebration at the JCC, co–sponsored by Indianapolis Power and Light Company and Citizens Energy Group.

The family-friendly Earth Day celebration begins at noon with tree planting on the JCC’s property, courtesy of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. At 1 pm, more than 50 exhibitors from across the state will present interactive exhibits to educate, challenge and entertain visitors of all ages on topics related to nature, the environment and our global impact. Live music by Ferris, food trucks and local artisans make this an all-around great day for all ages. As in the past, the JCC’s Earth Day Community Celebration is free and open to the public at the Arthur M. Glick JCC, 6701 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis. The Earth Day Community Celebration at the JCC is a rain or shine event. In the case of inclement weather, most activities will take place inside the JCC’s 160,000-square-foot facility. Ample, free parking will be available.

Volunteers are needed and very much appreciated! Sign up for a shift or two at https://secure.ujcfederations.org/ft2/form.html?__id=26878.

Highlights of the day include:

Tree planting: Keep Indianapolis Beautiful returns for the third year with young trees for the beautification of the Max & Mae Simon Jewish Community Campus (where the JCC is located on 40 acres in the midst of a north-side neighborhood). Volunteers are needed to help plant trees from noon until 1 pm. Volunteers for the tree planting and the Earth Day event in general may register at Volunteer Registration.

Electronic recycling:Hassle free, no charge drop-off of anything with a power cord between 1 and 4 pm. Benefits Recycling by Wings for West Africa with Recycle Force to fulfill the mission of providing computers to children in rural areas of West Africa.

All aspects of gardening:Composting, planting seedlings, constructing a mini greenhouse, hydroponics, raised garden bed construction, making seed tape, how to build a rain barrel, the underworld life of earthworms in your garden and more related activities presented by master gardeners and educators.

Alternative energy sources:Solar, electric, motion dynamics and others. Meet the Purdue Solar Racing team and check out their solar-powered car.

Creative recycling:Make terrariums from plastic bottles; use phonebooks and plastic bags to create a floral bouquet; make dog toys from recycled garments and create music from household and discarded objects. Discover what you can do with unwanted electronics and how you can transform computers and ordinary household items into something usable.

Test yourself:Answer trivia questions posed by our exhibitors and participate in a nature scavenger hunt. Both contests offer “some green” (cash!) for successful completion!

The great outdoors:Observe nature during a guided tour of the woods, identify animal tracks, create a nature journal, test water quality, examine tree rings, and make and fly a kite.

Public art:The public is invited to join Park Tudor teachers and students at the Earth Day Celebration in creating a large-scale colorful mural from recycled vinyl. Also, view Indiana’s second annual “Fence Art Festival,” sponsored by NUVO. Art by local artists will be displayed on a chain link fence. Nature and the environment are the theme for this one-day, juried exhibit. Know any artists? A few more spots on the fence are available. Write to mepstein@JCCindy.orgto participate. More information is at Fence Art Festival.

Eat:Snack on solar-powered popcorn, taste delicious milk by Oberweis Dairy and enjoy eating at some of Indy’s most popular food trucks: The NY Slice, Spice Box, Flavor Truck, Mac Genie, Scout’s Treat Truck and Pierogi Love Indy.

Shop:Items for sale from artisans committed to using recycled materials: Children’s clothing by Martha St. Clair, Recycled painted artwork by Michael Hap Hapner, the “Cornbelt Cowboy,” upcycled knitwear by Adena Mimi Rene, recycled paper art by Claudia Ritter and hand-stamped jewelry and hand-screened clothing by Martine Locke.

Earn a badge:Girl Scouts of Central Indiana are offering an official badge to girls who attend the JCC’s Earth Day Community Celebration. The event will count toward “It’s Your Planet-Love It” journey. Cost for the badge is $3.

Title Co-Sponsors

Indianapolis Power & Light Company

Citizens Energy Group

Contributing Sponsors
Robert & Tony Bader Charitable Foundation

Lori Efroymson-Aguilera and Sergio Aguilera

Renny and Greg Silver

Cummins

Payne & Mencias at Merrill Lynch

ETC ProLiance Energy
Additional Sponsors

Alpha Chi Sigma Professional Chemistry Fraternity

Arab Termite and Pest Control

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana

Camptown

Circle City Rain Barrels

Commuter Connect

Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America

Cummins

Earth Fare

Energizing Indiana

Energy Outfitter

Engro LLC

eScrap Inc.

Fast Signs

Ferris

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana

Greater Good Gardens

Green Alternatives

Green BEAN Delivery

Harding Poorman

Hoosier Environmental Council

Humane Society of Indianapolis

IUPUI Student Sustainability Council

Ivy Tech Community College

JCC

Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, Young Leadership Division

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.

Nap Town Chickens

NUVO

Oberweis Dairy

Park Tudor School

PJ Library

Purdue Extension-Marion County

Rhythm Fun with Bill

Sycamore School

The Nature Conservancy of Indiana

Unlocked Foods

Warren Jones

Wings for West Africa Recycle Force

WRTV6

WTTS-FM

The JCC is a beneficiary agency of the United Way of Central Indiana and the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, and an affiliate member of the JCC Association of North America. For more information, visit http://jccindy.org/, or call 317-251-9467.