Everybody’s Environment Family Fun Spring Festival

A Block Party with an Environmental Twist – Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 2 to 5 p.m.

In honor of Earth Day and the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism month, the Everybody’s Environment Action Group will host a free Family Fun Spring Festival on Saturday, April 25 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center, 133 Livingston Street.

“The Everybody’s Environment festival is a space for families and friends to gather and enjoy music, entertainment, games, and delicious food,” said Kana Miller, AmeriCorps Conservation Education & Volunteer Associate with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. “You don’t have to know anything about environmental work to enjoy the festival. It’s an opportunity to have fun, meet new people, and explore the outdoors in your own neighborhood.”

Participants can look forward to performances by DJ Superman, a bouncy house, scavenger hunt, food prepared by the Green Opportunities Kitchen Ready Program, and hands-on crafts and activities from participating community and environmental organizations.

“It’s gonna be a fun-filled day, but more than anything, it’s gonna be a great opportunity for us to celebrate the collective responsibility we have to exercise our God-given dominion over the earth in a way that treasures the creation and its divinely given resources,” said festival coordinator Sheneika Smith of Date My City. “Environmental care is one of the greater gifts we can offer our neighbor, selflessly caring for the planet and advocating for those who depend on Earth’s resource. It’s the best way to express stewardship, love, and charity to all mankind.”

Everybody’s Environment Action Group is a collaboration of environmental and community-based groups in Western North Carolina, striving to foster equity and inclusion. The group formed after the publication of a report on the state of diversity in environmental organizations about Green 2.0, an initiative dedicated to increasing racial diversity across mainstream environmental NGOs, foundations, and government agencies.

The comprehensive report, titled “The State of Diversity in Environmental Organizations: Mainstream NGOs, Foundations & Government Agencies,” found that people of color in environmental organizations and agencies have not broken the 12% to 16% “green ceiling” that has existed for decades. This report inspired the need for environmental and community organizations in Asheville to collaborate toward integrating the needs of the community into their long-term plans.

The Everybody’s Environment Family Fun Spring Festival is a way to raise awareness of the fact that environmental work touches many aspects of life, and the long-term success of this work depends on multicultural influences.

“As a volunteer and service coordinator intern with the Forest Service and Appalachian Trail Conservancy, I have grown through strong volunteerism ethics,” said Allison Williams, Volunteer and Service Coordinator with Mobilizegreen/USDA Forest Service/Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “Being the only black face for me means being a strong individual for all cultures and to make sure our voice is heard in an ever changing environmental movement.”

“Currently, 38% of the demography of the United States is made of multicultural communities. In children and youth under 18 years old, that figure is already over 50%. To stay relevant to the people, environmental and conservation organizations must include outreach to multicultural communities,” said Deborah Miles, Executive Director for the UNC Asheville Center for Diversity Education.

“A good example locally is Green Works which now, thanks to the work of Dewana Little, works with students in public housing to do water quality testing. That augments their work in school and has the potential to open employment opportunities down the road. At the Everybody’s Environment festival we hope to build more collaborations like that—and just have fun. That is what builds relationships and a more inclusive community for everyone.”

Sponsoring and hosting organizations for the festival include UNC Asheville Center for Diversity Education, U.S. Forest Service, Beattie Foundation, Green Opportunities, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Student Environmental Center at UNCA, Dogwood Alliance, Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Mountain People’s Assembly, Riverlink, and Clean Water NC.

For more information, contact Deborah Miles at (828) 232-5024 or visit www.facebook.com/everybodysenvironment.