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The freak year of 2020 was both the longest year ever (not up for debate), yet also seemed to disappear from the Gregorian Calendar altogether.
There is historical proof that the year existed, though. In 2020 alone, Australian brush fires wiped out 46 million acres, coronavirus deleted millions of humans with its super-spreading wrath, a presidential impeachment trial put Americans on edge, racial equity movements took over the nation, young kids became remote learners and many other events happened that have been repressed for the sake of sanity.
Yet all of these world-shifting events are just a mere dot on Mother Earth’s watch. In one year, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, our region saw heat levels rise, declining water supplies, widespread drought and insect outbreaks — all factors that led to thick Colorado brush, mountain sides and homes igniting into flames that were fanned by hurricane-force winds.
The Marshall Fire spread to the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history in 2021. And that was in December, which shifted the paradigm to a year-round wildfire season. A season with suffocating air quality, natural resources and family homes lying in kindling wait — this shows a desperate need for the planet to cool down. Like right now.
Yesterday was the time for action. Celebrating Mother Earth in the future will be tough if she’s engulfed in flames.
Boulder, always ahead of the curve, prioritizes sustainability. Let’s celebrate our Mother on Earth Day with educational events, film festivals, art exhibitions, celebrations of nature and tips on how we can make for a sustainable future.
The weekend is packed with Front Range events that visitors are encouraged to attend via bicycle, carpool, public transportation — as sustainably as possible.
Bonus: Through Sunday, BCycle is offering free unlimited 60-minute e-bike trips with a three-day weekend pass (use the “Bosch Earth Day Pass” on the app). BCycle has 38 stations around Boulder and more than 250 bikes around town. No excuses.
Since Boulder adores bikes ever so, Community Cycles is kicking off an inaugural Bicycle Film Festival on Friday. Proof of Boulder’s fondness for everything two-wheeled, the festival has already sold out two of its slots (the 5 and 7 p.m. events). There’s still room at the 9 p.m. Friday screenings where patrons can view a series of short films all about the bike.
There will also be panel discussions and vendors. A $30 ticket will get attendees appetizers and one drink. The events take place at Kiln, 2101 Pearl St., Boulder.
Colorado Environmental Film Festival wrapped its virtual event last month, but is extending its reach with a couple of pop-up screenings for Earth Day weekend. Six shorts and one feature film will be on screen at 7 p.m. Friday at Denver’s Sie Film Center, 2510 E. Colfax Ave.
Saturday, Denver’s BRDG Project Contemporary Arts, 1553 Platte St., Unit 100, (under the Highland Bridge), will play tree documentaries from the Colorado Environmental Film Festival as part of its “Language of Trees” exhibition.
Paying tribute to the almighty woody perennial, a group art exhibition will display work from 20 artists from across Colorado. The opening reception, 6-10 p.m. Friday, will feature a live interpretive dance piece and a seedling installation.
The “Language of Trees” exhibit has an array of art featuring varied mediums — and many of the artists used repurposed tree elements.
Nederland artist Jessica Moon Bernstein-Schiano, a University of Colorado Boulder grad, has been using her art as a platform to raise awareness about the planet for years.
Her massive “Ourubberous” installation — made up of hard-to-recycle bicycle inner tubes — took over an entire gallery space at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in 2011. She uses her work to highlight devastation and strengthen harmony in nature.
“Where Do All the Buffalo Roam,” her piece in the Denver show, spotlights the buffalo, a sentinel species, with mixed media on wood. These sentinel animals serve as harbingers of danger to humans and therefore rely on human impact of the planet to be light.
Denver artist Brett Matarazzo told Shoutout Colorado he’s a “dumpster diver” and scavenger. He uses reclaimed wood as his canvas — wood that carries historic tales from aged neighborhoods, family dinner tables and razed buildings making way for gentrification.
As a part of a Denver art collective, he dedicates his time to social issues and sticks to his mission of keeping local art at the forefront of its communities. His expansive mixed-media pieces, ranging from furniture to wall art, often feature photography, typography and etched or laser-engraved elements.
Colorado Springs-based artist Shannon Mello creates encaustic art that’s layered with beeswax, tree resin and pigment. She forms lines of pines soaked in morning fog and earth-toned landscapes celebrating the great outdoors.
At BRDG Project on Saturday from 4-8 p.m., a guest environmental speaker will speak and there will be screenings of “Koa Talking to Me,” “Seas of Trees,” “Yoshino Ringyo” and “Guarding the Forest.”
The exhibit is on display until April 28, when there will be a 6 p.m. closing reception.
Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that “a nation that destroys its soils destroys itself.”
“Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”
Boulder Earth Day Celebration: Resource Central and Ecocycle are throwing a party for Mother Earth Friday with a renovated reveal of Resource Central’s year-long improvement project. Families can tour the facility, shop during the Earth Day Sale, participate in kid-friendly activities and jam out to live music from Big Paddy (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) followed by two Boulder School of Rock bands (1-3 p.m.). Go Green Gourmet’s food truck will be serving up healthy sandwich pocket pies; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; free; Resource Central, 6400 Arapahoe Road, Boulder.
Longmont Earth Day Celebration: This annual celebration is back with a full day of sustainable fun on Saturday. There will be dozens of educational booths and hands-on activities for kids (recycled art, pollinators, birds of prey, a seedling station, composting demos, a youth short film fest, hanging out with baby goats and a concert with Jeff & Paige), all followed by a climate rally that will depart the museum at 2 p.m. for a 30-minute march to spread love for the planet; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; free; Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road, Longmont.
Spring Fest: Pack a lunch and head to Sombrero Marsh in East Boulder where Thorne Nature Experience educators are hosting a kids’ party for Mother Earth. Kids can join in activities, birding, create art projects, dance to music from Jeff & Paige, explore during scavenger hunts and engage in hands-on nature play. The conservation area, an alkali marsh, is a rare one in this region. Visitors can stroll around and check out the unique habitat and wildlife; free; 10 a.m.-noon Friday; 1466 N 63rd St., Boulder.
Earth Day at The Shack: The Shack in Lafayette is calling all humans to join in on an afternoon of exhibits and activities at this education between Waneka Lake and Greenlee Wildlife Preserve. Learn about native plants to Colorado, the Earth’s sustainable future and more; 1-3 p.m. Saturday; free; Greenlee Wildlife Preserve, 1600 Caria Drive, Lafayette.
Precious Earth: Custom jewelry mother-daughter shop, Love Saro, is teaming up with On Beat Vintage to host Precious Earth, a vendor village and event to celebrate Mother Earth. There will be more than 15 local artisans and makers coming together for a day of creative expression and giving back to the Earth. The event will feature jewelry, aura photography, tarot readings, live music, artisan goods, local kombucha, vegan and gluten-free snacks and more; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; free; Love Saro, 2555 49th St., Boulder.
Earth Day Nature Hike: Nature and educational center in Nederland, Wild Bear, will have experienced guides leading an Earth Day hike 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday; $10 suggested donation; Meet at Wild Bear Nature Center in the Caribou Village Shopping Center, 20 Lakeview Drive, Nederland.
Boulder Sculpture Dedication: With funding from Boulder philanthropists Grace and Gordon Gamm, the Boulder Rotary Club and Museum of Boulder will dedicate a new kinetic sculpture by Charles Sturrock as a part of the Infinite Walk of Peace project. The dedication will start in the Canyon Theater of the Boulder Public Library, followed by a short walk through the Infinite Walk of Peace path (adjacent to the library) over to the lawn of the Boulder Municipal Building. The program will feature presentations by Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett, City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde and former Congressman David Skaggs, alongside live music. Plus, CU professors Jenny Price, Beth Osnes, Michelle Ellsworth and Patty Limerick will present a climate change event, “Hopeless Optimism,” urging the public to pay attention to environmental issues; 2:30 p.m. Friday; free; 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder.
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