Oldenburg Renewable Energy Commission, Local High School Students To Host Earth Day Event

The event will feature a variety of educational exhibits, demonstrations, kids activities, live music and more.

(Oldenburg, Ind.) - On Sunday, April 19, 2020, from 3-5:00 pm the Oldenburg Renewable Energy Commission (OREC) and students from Batesville High School and Oldenburg Academy environmental clubs will partner to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. “ErdeFest,” incorporating the German word for “Earth,” will take place on the Holy Family Church lawn located on the corner of Pearl and Water Streets in Oldenburg. A back-up site will be at the Oldenburg Academy school gym if weather conditions prevent an outdoor event.

The event will feature a variety of educational exhibits, demonstrations, kids activities, live music and more. Free tree seedlings will be given to the first 300 people to arrive. These are native hardwood trees and some conifers purchased by OREC from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources local nursery. A tree planting demonstration will take place at 4:00pm, providing attendees with important tree care tips.

The Batesville High School Stewards of Sustainability Club and the ReCyclones club from Oldenburg Academy will run booths on their specific areas of concern. The SOS Club will offer information and activities, including games for children, pertaining to planting native trees, saving bees from extinction and moving toward zero waste. OA students will focus on recycling and cutting back on single-use plastics. They will also encourage Oldenburg restaurants to find earth-friendly packaging for their carry-out containers and invite attendees to bring their own containers when they eat out, if restaurants agree.

OREC members will offer education and actionable tips around energy efficiency, calculating your own carbon footprint, generating some of your own electricity via solar panels, electric vehicles, and ways for citizens to encourage government officials to promote environmentally-friendly policies. The commission will use the recommendations they reported when they presented the results of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Survey to the Oldenburg Town Council last November as the basis for their educational offerings.

Music for Erdefest will be provided at 3:30pm by the Ukulele Club of the Batesville Memorial Public Library.

Attendees are encouraged to patronize one of the fine restaurants in Oldenburg to take advantage of their special offerings during the week of April 19-25. They are sponsoring this event with OREC.