Earth Day

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The first thing we encounter is a booth where young girls are handing out bright yellow plastic bags containing plastic bottles of water. The bag gives you contact info for Washtenaw County's home toxics reduction program. Apparently we can put nasty things like pesticides, mercury thermometers, and cleansers into the bag and take it to a free drop-off location for disposal.

I overhear a man say, "Oh, they're getting dirty already," and I look over to see two little girls dressed as mice or bunnies who are literally digging in wet mud. I try to get my boys to stop and join in, but they want to go to the bubble area. Masses of kids, and a few adults, are making huge bubbles from buckets of soapy water and giant wands. I stand watching for a little while until a friend offers to watch my kids so I can check out the exhibitors.

The Scrap Box is offering materials for kids to make their own costumes for the annual All Species Parade. Many local green businesses and nonprofits are here: the ReUse Center and the Ecology Center, the cohousing group. I stop by to see the modified diesel vehicles that run off used vegetable oil. I know a few folks who've done this and I really hope the government doesn't catch on and screw it all up by regulating and taxing it.