HARTSVILLE, SC (WBTW) – Sunday is officially Earth Day, a day when people all over the world celebrate Mother Earth and work to raise awareness about environmental issues. But people in Hartsville got a head start on the festivities on Saturday.
Dozens of people gathered at Kalmia Gardens Saturday afternoon for the 9th Annual Earth Day Festival. The event featured entertainment, animal exhibits, nature walks, a handful of vendors, and even a duck race. All day long, people stopped by to hear from experts about dangers to the environment and how they can help better protect the planet. Some people took pledges to be more resourceful and stop using plastic. The organizers of the event say it’s all about teaching people how to be one with nature.
“Environmental education is vital. it needs to start in kindergarten and we need to find new ways to bring a brilliant civilization in harmony with the earth so that we take care of mother earth for generations to come,” said Mal Hyman, an organizer of the event and a sociology professor at Coker College.
Displays were set up to encourage people to recycle, ban plastic, conserve water, and properly care for plants. Attendees also learned what they can do to better protect animals and insects, like bees. Beekeepers say, due to the use of pesticides and a loss of habitat, honeybees are in danger.
“Huge fields of the same crop are making it difficult for them to find enough variety in their diet,” said Richard Guess of the Beekeepers Association. “Honey beekeepers are experiencing 50% losses sometimes in a year and it’s very difficult to maintain honeybees when you lose half of them every year.”
William Howard, a beginning beekeeper with the Beekeepers Association, says bees make up one-third of our food and without them, we would lose most of it. He also explained what people can do to prevent endangering bees.
“Don’t plant the same plants right by each other. Cross-pollinate. Plant other plants everywhere,” he said.
Other kids at the event also had some advice for people looking to be more environmentally-friendly. That includes using solar panels and not littering.
A large crowd also turned out for the Duck Cup Race at noon. Dozens of rubber ducks raced down Black Creek. Each duck was in correspondence with a numbered ticket that was given to each participant in exchange for a $5 donation. It was a close call but the Boys and Girls Club took home the big prize after their duck reached the finish line first.
