Ashe Earth Day Draws a Crowd

By Vicki Randolph

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: it's the environmental movement's mantra. And Earth Week is a great opportunity

for all of us to be reminded to be kind to our planet. Thanks to the New River Earth Institute and all of the other groups who came out to the Ashe County Farmers Market on Saturday, visitors were given tools to do just that.

Children are of course the most receptive to loving the Earth, and they are also the most creative. Only kids could take a pile of garbage and recycle it into so many crazy creations. Plastic bottles, strings and wood scraps became everything from robots, to pets, to a recycled ninja.Toilet paper centers magically turned into binoculars and pencil cups. Even egg cartons can find another use as litter bugs if you have a big imagination.
After recycling junk into art, visitors to the Earth Day Celebration learned how to reduce and reuse waste by making recycled paper out of old paper scraps. Nancy Reed, handmade paper maker volunteered her time and materials to teach others her craft. Children and adults alike were able to take home the samples they made.

New River Earth Institute volunteers promoted sustainable agriculture and eating local by helping folks to plant their own vegetable seeds for starting their own gardens. NREI, organizers of the event, also provided face painting, coloring books, temporary tattoos, recycling stickers, tips sheets and 'Celebrate Earth Day' lollipops.

New River State Park ranger, Doug Blatney, brought some samples of river residents for the crowd to pet and learn about. National Committee for the New River staff and volunteers provided Blue Way maps and river knowledge to Ashe County residents and out of town visitors to the High Country.

The gorgeous sunny spring weather really brought out a big crowd to the farmers market. Besides all of the fun Earth Day activities, there was a whole lot of shopping going on. Ashe County crafts, cheeses, breads, meats, early spring greens, and trees and shrubs of many varieties found their way home with hundreds of shoppers this weekend.

What could be a better way to spend Earth Week than to reduce, reuse, recycle and keep it local? That's what Earth Day is all about, and not just this week, but by celebrating Earth Day everyday-especially at the Ashe County Farmers Market!