Pasadena Celebrates Earth Day 2021

[UPDATED] From the public library to local utilities, the city is preparing to observe the 51st Earth Day on Thursday.

The Nature Conservancy is hosting an online “Earth Day Virtual Summit” at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with speakers including Jane Goodall, Alexandra Cousteau and Dolores Huerta. More information on the event, including a link for registration, can be found online at nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/california/stories-in-california/virtual-summit-2021.

The event will be dominated by two primary themes, Conservancy spokesman Daniel Johnson said.

One is “something that we here at the Nature Conservancy call the ‘Determining Decade,” he said. “…which is this idea that we are running out of time to change the trajectory of nature on our planet. But we can still have a future of our choosing if we make our choices now.”

The conference’s second main theme will be “the idea that nature is our solution: That if we can help nature thrive, nature can solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges,” according to Johnson.

Recent record wildfires and drought conditions, sea level rise and other factors represent “acute signs,” he said. “We’ll explore this concept in our virtual summit that what has been kind of seen as a conservation crisis or an environmental crisis has now become an acute human crisis. And our hope is that humans are going to be highly motivated to solve human problems. And we’re going to explore that.”

“It’s also an opportunity to create urgency around these issues and really mobilize the corporate forces, the political forces [and] the citizenry around solutions — scientific solutions at scale — which is really what the Nature Conservancy tries to focus on.”

Pasadena Water and Power is sharing conservation and sustainability tips throughout the week on its Facebook page at facebook.com/PasadenaWaterandPower, as well as on its Twitter account at twitter.com/PWPnews. PWP is also offering educational materials for children and families online at cityofpasadena.net/water-and-power/online-education-offerings.

“For Pasadena, conservation is about helping residents and businesses do their part to preserve our Earth’s natural resources, which are limited and precious,” PWP spokeswoman Margie Otto said.

“The programs, workshops, and rebates that Pasadena Water and Power offer year-round focus on helping customers do their part to be water and energy-efficient,” she added. “Whether that’s encouraging customers to drive electric, replace thirsty turf with drought-tolerant landscapes that complement the California-Mediterranean climate, or helping businesses to install efficient irrigation like drip, or restaurants to install energy-saving dishwashers and high-efficiency toilets — all of it helps to reduce water waste and reduce our carbon footprint.”

PWP Efforts targeted at sustainability have included installing public EV chargers and investing in infrastructure to capture and store water locally, Otto said.

City social media accounts will also circulate eco-friendly messages, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The Pasadena Public Library is hosting a series of events and activities revolving around Earth Day. Preschool Story Time on the library’s Facebook page at http://facebook.com/pasadenalibrary at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday will focus on songs and stories about flowers and birds. Author Kendra Atleework will host a discussion on her book, “Miracle Country,” via Zoom at 5 p.m. on Thursday. More information is available at atleework.com/events/virtual-event-kendra-atleework-amp-alia-volz-experiments-amp-long-shots-in-the-golden-state-7e6jg-tzjaa-2a33h. A special Earth Day edition of “Crafting With Tiff and Tosh” will take placeat 3 p.m. Monday via the library’s Instagram account at instagram.com/pasadenalibrary.

The Pasadena Senior Center is planning an online event inviting the public to celebrate Earth Day with local poet, filmmaker and high school students Serena Lin via Zoom at 2 p.m. Thursday. Those interested can register online at pasadenaseniorcenter.org/lectures-events/online-events/3473-a-cultural-thursdays-event-poetry-with-serena-lin.

The USC Pacific Asia Museum is hosting a meditative drawing workshop inspired by Sumi-e brush paintings of nature online at 4 p.m. on Thursday. More information and free tickets can be found at https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/calendar/details/?event-id=35962543294551.

Day One in Pasadena is marking Earth Day with a “Movie on the Lawn” and resource fair, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the organization’s facility at 175 N. Euclid Ave. More information, as well as a link to RSVP, can be found online at facebook.com/events/130324915672077.

South Pasadena is observing Earth Day by kicking off its “Trees of Library Park” scavenger hunt. Details are available at https://www.southpasadenaca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2619/32.