Chapel Hill Earth Action Day a success despite lower turnout

In the Southern Community Park in Chapel Hill on Saturday, Muriel Williman showed off a handful of worms to an onlooking family.

Williman, education and outreach coordinator with the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department, brought her worms to demonstrate her self-perfected method of indoor composting involving water and shredded newspaper. The event was part of Chapel Hill’s fifth annual Earth Action Day event.

“It’s great for a housewarming gift,” she said.

Saturday’s event drew a mix of local businesses, families and students to the park — but only attracted about 1,500 people, a drop from the 3,000 participants at the past two years’ events.

Wes Tilghman, festivals and special events supervisor for Chapel Hill, said he was disappointed by the attendance.

“There are so many other competing events, especially in the spring,” he said.

But the 5K race, held for the first time this year as part of Earth Action Day, garnered 100 runners who raised a total of $5,000.

The money raised will be split between paying for this year’s event and the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club’s teacher’s supply store.

“The festival is representative of what the town does to be sustainable and encourages citizens to learn about the different ways to be sustainable,” said Tilghman.

Scrap metal sculptures dominated the art scene at the festival, including a 10-foot road runner made out of old fire extinguishers, snow chains and a metal chair frame.

“It just makes you laugh, doesn’t it?” said Anu Sabapathi, who took home a unicorn assembled from an old kettle.

“Somebody’s trash is another person’s art,” said Jeffrey York, Chapel Hill public and cultural arts administrator.

Climate Leadership and Energy Awareness Program — an environmental program created by the UNC Institute for the Environment and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for high school students — encouraged passersby at the event to consider how important it is for elected officials to have a strong science background.

“It’s something people don’t have on their minds, but the environment will really effect everyone in the long run,” said UNC student Wevine Fidelis, a volunteer with Climate LEAP. “It’s important to know where our candidates stand on these issues.”

Two owls, presented by the Piedmont Wildlife Center, also made an appearance at the festival.

“People throw out food from their cars — apple cores, banana peels — and mice go after that, so a lot of owls get run over,” said Vanessa Simmons, a volunteer from the Piedmont Wildlife Center.

Kamalini Darling, who worked as an assistant at the Krishna’s Henna Tattoos booth, said she thinks people sometimes take the environment for granted.

“In West Bengal, I’ve seen villages where nothing is imported, everything is self sustainable in terms of food and shelter,” Darling said. “The Earth is our mother, and she’s angry.”

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