By Katia Jenkins Brown
And Ryan Demarest
Staff Writer
The City of Manhattan Beach has been hosting Earth Month events throughout April to promote environmental friendliness in celebration of Earth Day, which was on April 22.
The city partnered with the Manhattan Beach Library, South Bay Surfriders Foundation and Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium to host events for Manhattan Beach residents.The Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Department will host Manhattan Beach’s 24th annual Earth Day Celebration Saturday at Polliwog Park for all community members to attend.
“The goal of the celebration is to unite the community in a comprehensive effort to promote sustainable living in the city of Manhattan Beach,” Environmental Programs manager Sona Coffee said.
The celebration will also include an E-Waste collection located in the Manhattan Beach Middle School parking where residents can donate and recycle their old electronics.
“We want to create awareness of things that impact the environment negatively,” Parks and Recreation Service Manager Idris Al-Oboudi said. “We hope to provide participants with actions that they can take to protect the Earth.”
Additionally, the city is offering free Spring classes at the Manhattan Beach botanical gardens in Polliwog Park, from April 9-June 4, where environmentalists teach residents how they can be environmentally friendly. The most recent class on Saturday discussed how residents can grow their own food in a sustainable manner using the proper soil and care.
“Everyone can attend the free classes, take the lessons learned home and start making simple changes to their own yards to make the environment a better place,” Coffee said.
The Manhattan Beach Library has also been hosting book talks and author events regarding the preservation of the environment. The library invited author Charles Moore on April 18 to speak about his novel, “Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Ocean,” which discusses the effect of plastic pollution on the ocean.
“We are encouraging residents to read Moore’s book to learn about the dangers of pollution and then take action to help protect our beaches and oceans,” community library manager Melissa McCollum said.
The city also co-sponsored an Earth Day beach clean-up on Saturday, the day after Earth Day, with the South Bay Surfriders and the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium. The clean-up was on the south side of the Manhattan Beach pier, where residents picked up trash.
“It was great to see the community come together to clean the shores,” sophomore Aaron Kissel said. “I felt like we were making an actual difference.”
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