Earth Day events continue

Apr 26, 2021

Madeline Scarborough

Staff Reporter

mscarborough@newsandsentinel.com

For the past two weeks, people have come together across the community to celebrate Earth Day.

The area has hosted river and street clean ups; enjoyed nature through bird walks, bike rides and an area kayak challenge and come together to discuss how the community could be greener as a whole.

Two events that were held Saturday were a street clean up around Parkersburg High School hosted by the Wood County Democratic Party and an informational set up in Marietta where organizations focused on a greener world could meet with area residents to talk about how they could be greener.

“Every Earth Day, we try to get out and clean up the area,” said Josh Lemley member of Democratic Executive Committee.

Lemley said he was excited to be out in the community doing some good and enjoying the outdoors, especially after being cooped up during the Pandemic last year. The group marked routes around PHS that needed cleaned up and cleaned for two hours.

“Some streets you see a lot of trash and others you only see things like cigarette butts,” said Judy Stephens chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee.

“We are just out doing our part and hope it inspires others to clean up the streets as well,” said Stephens.

Cleaning up the streets has been a major point for many during Earth Day Celebrations.

During the river clean up last week, Michael Schramm with the Ohio River Islands Refugee in Williamstown also urged for people to pick up when it is safe to do so.

“When it rains, that trash goes into our rivers, and can travel from here to the Mississippi River and the Gulf,” Schramm previously said.

Saturday was not the last day of community celebratory events. Sunday there was a free outdoor screening at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church courtyard in Marietta of “Kiss the Ground” according to the Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, it is “a new film about how regenerating the world soil has the potential to rapidly stabilise Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create an abundant food supply.”

Madeline Scarborough can be reached at mscarborough@newsandsentinel.com