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Oak Cliff Earth Day
No one person can save the environment by his or herself; it requires all of us working together to reach a common goal. Last year, members of the Oak Cliff community did just that; they came together in an exciting to way to raise awareness on environmental issues.
In February 2007, a group of “green thinking people” in Oak Cliff met to brainstorm how their local community could celebrate Earth Day. The result was the first ever Oak Cliff Earth Day celebration. The group started the project with no money, no staff and no sponsors. They only had a group of dedicated volunteers who wanted to make a difference in their own way, and what transpired through the project over the following months was an inspiration to all involved, according to Oak Cliff Earth Day logistics coordinator Roger Bolen.
The group held bi-monthly meetings to plan their Earth Day celebration and did plenty of research to find organizations, groups and businesses that were interested in being good stewards to the earth. As this happened, according to Bolen, people began to show up with expertise in many valuable areas. A graphic artist mapped out the event and produced brochures; another artist developed a logo; sponsors and advertisers put a spotlight on the event; and others helped obtain entertainment for the Earth Day celebration.
On the day of the Oak Cliff Earth Day 2007 event, 3000 people attended to see Dan Hughes the beekeeper, Tony Delia with his butterfly tent, Vicki Sullivan with her Grand Prairie Earth Worm Farm and rain barrels. Additional participants included a clown, Sparky the Fire Dog, animals for adoption, entertainment, artisans displaying their wares, neighborhood groups, Friends of Oak Cliff Parks, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League, Native Plant Society, the Rainbow Garden Club, City of Dallas Arborist Phil Erwin, and The Oak Cliff Lion’s Club. The Earth Day celebration also incorporated a science project with entries from local schools. In all, approximately 125 environmentally-conscious exhibitors, including non-profit and for-profit organizations, participated in Oak Cliff Earth Day 2007.
The pulling together of so many volunteers, organizations and resources yielded a truly magnificent result. “With a goal in mind, the help of some dedicated people [and] willingness of all aspects of our community to come together, we were able to accomplish something much more than we ever realized possible,” Bolen said. He feels proud of the way Oak Cliff Earth Day 2007 raised awareness on how people can do their part to preserve the planet.
The event was so successful that the group is now in the planning stages for Oak Cliff Earth Day 2008. “We have many of the same volunteers, sponsors and much more enthusiasm and zeal because we did it once and we will do it again. Hopefully this year will be bigger and better, but most important is that somehow our small group of volunteers did and will continue to make a difference,” Bolen said.
Oak Cliff Earth Day 2008 will be held this year on April 20 at Lake Cliff Park from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. To learn more about the event and how you can get involved, visit their website.
