Nanaimo organizations are thinking green with events planned around the community to honour Earth Day.
The Nanaimo Area Land Trust hosts its third annual Wild Foods Festival and Earth Day Celebration and the mid-Island chapter of the Council of Canadians is hosting a beach party and potluck.
NALT’s festival, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Bowen Park complex Sunday (April 22), features the culinary delights of 10 local chefs who incorporated edible wild plants into their dishes. Admission is $2 and food sample tickets are $1 each.
“The food is exceptional,” said Gail Adrienne, NALT executive director.
The organization has asked the chefs to bring more food this year because last year the food was so popular they ran out.
“If you come hungry – come early,” she Adrienne.
Speaker Nick Versteeg, a producer of local documentaries on food security, will discuss that issue as well as wild plants. Other presenters include Francois DeJong, from Nanaimo Foodshare, and Bill Jones, of Deerholme Farm, who will provide cooking demonstrations and samples afterward.
Adrienne said the City of Nanaimo is taking a bigger role this year and offering free activities such as lawn bowling, disc-golf, yoga and meditation. There will also be about 20 community information booths and vendors selling plants, crafts and locally produced food products.
The Nanaimo Astronomy Society is also participating in the festival and will be at the Bowen Park Auditorium to offer information about its Dark Sky Project and light pollution. If weather permits people will be able to do solar viewing through society telescopes.
For more information, please go to www.nalt.bc.ca.
The Council of Canadians beach party is noon to 3 p.m. at Maffeo Sutton Park. The event features a pot luck, volleyball and boche.
People attending are encouraged to pledge to keep Vancouver Island beaches pristine. The pledge includes using less fossil fuels and working to halt the expansion of crude oil pipelines along the B.C. coast. Attendees are also encouraged to bring signs to express their sentiments about pipelines in the province.
For more information, please go to www.midislandcanadians.org.
reporter3@nanaimobulletin.com