Celebrate Earth Day in Pasadena April 24

Pasadena’s Greening the Earth Day and Armory Family Arts Festival will feature what’s new and exciting in environmental stewardship.

Boosted by technology and the popularity of helping the planet stay healthy, the festival will feature green products, green organizations, water friendly plants, electric vehicles, children’s art workshops, art exhibitions, nonstop live entertainment, and Pasadena’s first swap meet where the public can give and take away items without exchanging money.

The eighth annual event to celebrate Earth and the arts is free to the public Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave.; Memorial Park across the street; on Raymond Avenue between Walnut and Holly streets.

Val Zavala, anchor of the KCET series “Life and Times,” will return as the master of ceremonies. Businesses and nonprofit organizations will display information or sell items that promote green living, energy and water efficiency, composting, organic foods, green building design and alternative transportation and renewable energy.

The festival is also the place to learn more about Pasadena’s resources and plans for waste reduction, recycling, water and energy conservation and other Green City initiatives. Last year’s event had more than 80 exhibitors and drew thousands of visitors.

A guided bicycle tour of green projects in Pasadena, organized by C.I.C.L.E., will begin at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park.

Armory Center for the Arts will provide ongoing, Earth-friendly art workshops in clay sculpture, paper weaving and fabric story collages.

Artwork will be found inside and outside of the Armory Center, including CreAIRtor, installation art by Doron Gazit, an environmental artist and industrial designer. The artwork consists of enormous inflatable vinyl tubes adorned with paper cutouts made by seventh graders at Washington Middle School. Electric fans that inflate the artwork will be solar-powered courtesy of Acro Energy, a service-oriented company that has installed more than 2,000 solar systems for residential, commercial, government and nonprofit use throughout Pasadena and Southern California.

In the Armory’s Community Room, “Artful Solutions: Pathways from Homelessness” will have its opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. “Story of Stuff,” a 20-minute film about American consumerism, will be screened continuously from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On the street, alternative-energy vehicles will be on display; live music will be performed by Kan Zaman, Los Angeles Taiko Center, PEACEmuse and Old Californio on a stage that will be solar-powered by Acro Energy; dance will be performed by Folklorico Nahuatzen, Danza Yankuititl Aztec Dancers and Lineage Dance on a special dance floor in front on the stage, where the public will also be invited to participate; an interactive drum circle will be presented by Drumtime; vendors will offer have food for purchase and Pasadena firefighters will cook hot dogs.

The environmental booths will be in the park and the on the street; the swap meet will be at the park; and the children’s art workshops will be at the park and the Armory Center.

Pasadena Water and Power customers will have a chance to win an Energy Star clothes washer valued at $800. People riding Metro Gold Line to Memorial Park will receive an Earth Day reusable bag by showing their Metro passes at the Transportation Booth, while supplies last.

Sponsoring the festival are the city of Pasadena, Armory Center for the Arts, Acro Energy, Conscientious Projector and Metro. Volunteers assisting with the event include Northwest Ambassadors and students from Blair High School.

For more information go to www.cityofpasadena.net/earthday, www.Facebook.com/PasadenaEarthDay or call (626) 744-4721.