So, it's Earth Day, officially anyway.... I think there are ways to celebrate our mother everyday!

I know some very amazing people that are dedicated to making everyday Earthday. I want to allpaud them now! I really did clap just then... :)

I want to give a shout out to a great project that is creative, fun and educational. The name of Kricket's "baby" is the "Habitat's Environmental Project". You can look up more information here at: kricketskritters.com/habitats-project.html. Her idea and her vision is to go around our local environment, do trash pick-up, and teach local children the ways of recycling, and re-using! As she collects trash throughout our Northwest parks, beaches, mountains, etc, she dries out and saves that trash, and uses what she can from it to create an interactive 'show' for kids. The show will have costumes made from found objects, so will the set. The kids, volunteers, and Kricket herself will participate in this show. What an awesome way to let kids be creative and begin to learn at a young age how to care for our Mother!

This weekend(Saturday), you can dress up like a kritter, put on your stilts(or not) and head on out to the Earth Day parade. It is being held at Nw 25th and Quimby, rain or shine, be prepared, just in case..... The City Repair Project is having a fun, interactive, and educational 'fair', and The Habitat's Project is going to be dressed up in their Kritter Finery, joining the parade. Everyone is welcome. Join us for some Earth Day, Furry fun!

She is one person who rocks ALL YEAR LONG, not just on Earth Day!

There are musicians and bands who also do things for Earth Day. I was reading throughout the internet all I could about Earth Day and music. There are so many small town Festivals and Earth Day parades and activities going on in our Country. We are so very fortunate to be bleesd enough to do these things!

One Festival that is rockin' out for Earth Day is the Green Apple Music Festival! It is the largest Earth day Music Event in the United States! They have so much going on. The Festival takes place on Earth Day weekend in: Boston, New York, Washington Dc, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angelas and Austin. I would love to be at the San Francisco part of the Festival... The music there is going to be good. One of my favorites...BASSNECTAR!!!!! with Heavy Weight Dub Champion opening up, wow, how good is that going to be? WOMP,WOMP,WOMP!!!! All you had to do was sign up to volunteer to be of service at local parks, beaches, forests, and schools for trash-pick up, talk about the many ways we can affect our environment, and other fun, but hard working ways! The reward to you get for your efforts is the Bassnectar show! How great of an idea is that?

If you are in Washington DC, you will be rewarded HIGHLY!!! Have you ever got to see The Flaming Lips? LIVE?? The FREE Earth Day concerts start at noon at the National Mall. You will get to see along with The Lips, Moe., DJ Spooky and Los Lobos. Man, what a hefty line up! Chevy Chase will be the events emcee and you will also hear from Eddie Vedder as well as many other smart, amazing activists, and musicians throughout the day.

Now, if you are in Denver, guess who YOU get to see??? Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk. This is the best funk band I have ever heard and I know it's the best one to come outta New Orleans! I can't even describe the energy surrounding a Dumpstaphunk show. You leave dripping sweat, TIRED, worn out, have no voice and THE biggest smile on your face! These fuys wail, go see them whenever you get the chance!

I love that music gets people involved. It always has been a way to be heard, but now we need it more than ever, I think. People LISTEN to music, they FEEL it, they GET it. Take Michael Franti, for instance. He is the perfect example for using his voice. He sings about everything from, hate crimes, LOVE, environmentalism, being Vegan or Vegetarian, volunteering and war. He makes you think, allows you to feel and understand, then you want to DO something. I love that about all the musicians and artists I wrote about today. They all can rock, they all can make us shake it, HARD. But they are also smart people with big ideas and big hearts that want to be heard! They don't sit around while they are not on stage, nope! They are volunteering, speaking to the public, and learning themselves, about what can be done to make this be a better place for all of us.

What can you do in your own personal environment to make it better? Recycle more? Re-use more? Buy in bulk. Before you buy, look at the packaging, is it environmentally friendly? Is there too much plastic holding the thing together? Bring your own container to restaurants with you to carry home your leftover's. I can't say it enough: RE-USE! RE-USE! Everything, clothes, toys, tools, furniture, parts of other things, etc.... Eat locally, shop locally, ride a bike, use less electricity! A million ways you can do something in your own home, city, or town, just remember you have the brains, use 'em!

What are you doing today? Anything special? I am going to listen to what some of these people have to say, then try to be useful in any other fashion I can for our Mother Earth. I'll probably pick up litter, I may go through our recycling to see what can be used for my friends project or for my own, I may just write another blog about how we need to speak up, act out and cReATe for our future. For the future of out PLanet. It just makes you feel good, doesn't it?

Let's make everyday Earth Day!

Happy Spring to you all!!!!

~~peAcE~~

Melissa Magic