Staff Writer

While Earth Day is always April 22, local activities to celebrate and appreciate nature were scheduled all week and two more events are planned for this weekend.

The Wells Reserve at Laudholm will host a family friendly Earth Day celebration at 11 a.m. Saturday.  

“It will be lower key than in the past, but a great day to get out and reconnect with nature,” said Scott Richardson, editor of the Laudholm Trust’s publications and Web site. 

Wells Reserve Education Director Suzanne Eder said a couple hundred people attended last year, and the reserve hopes just as many come out and enjoy the free activities this year. Crafts using recycled materials will be set up from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. They including making beads and envelopes from old magazines and a collaborative mural for the barn classroom. 

The event also will include a nature walk at noon on the reserve’s seven miles of trails and a beach cleanup at 1:30 p.m. 

“It is an annual day to give thanks to Earth and connect with nature and do our part to help the Earth,” Eder said. “It’s to get outside and explore the outdoors and develop an appreciation, as well as to keep Earth the way we enjoy it.”

With recent movements such as “no child left inside,” Eder said it is important to educate children on subjects related to preserving nature. The reserve is a great place to start because staff members are developing ways to educate children and the rest of the community about climate change and its effects worldwide, she said. 

In Kennebunk, the Kennebunk Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee will host a screening of “The 11^th Hour,” followed by a discussion about what residents can do to work against the challenges of global warming. 

Committee member Sassy Smallman said the documentary contains testimony from people who have studied climate change for more than a decade.

“They’re people at the head of the field of global warming,” Smallman said. “But it is equally important for people to discuss the solutions jointly.”

The committee currently is working on a “no-idling policy” for Kennebunk as one step toward reducing emissions, but Smallman said the committee is also encouraging people to weatherize homes and explore energy-efficient technologies. 

“We are also encouraging people to bring their own ideas and input on what they think,” Smallman said.

The documentary and discussion is the second in the committee’s climate-change educational events. A final event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 28, and will feature University of Maine at Orono’s Dr. Habib Dagher, who will lecture on development and installation of offshore wind turbines.

Staff writer Emma Bouthillette can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 237.