CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - For the first time since 2019, South Bay Earth Day is back with a full-fledged festival showcasing all the ways people in Chula Vista can go green.
The event, which will include more than three-dozen vendors and booths, runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 in Chula Vista's Memorial Park.
"Holding events like these helps us spread the word that we need to be sustainable," said Manuel Medrano, the Chula Vista Director of Environmental Services.
Medrano believes the best way to show people how easy it can be to eliminate waste is to educate them with hands-on events like this one.
"It's all about education, education, education. It just takes a little bit of steps in your life to make your life more sustainable. This event will teach you how to do that. It's not that hard. That's what this will teach us."
In addition to the usual lessons about what can and can't be recycling, this year's event will focus heavily on organics recycling. New state law requires people in California to recycle organic waste. The City of Chula Vista will give out kitchen recycling bins at the event to anyone who wants to start recycling their scraps.
"Because of our fast-paced life we got away from (composting)," says Tina Matthias, the Founder of the South Bay Sustainable Communities Network. "But now we need to get back to it and it's just getting back to the basics."
The event will be a "zero-waste" event, with volunteers helping people avoid throwing waste in the garbage cans. It will also have art demonstrations to show how to reuse trash that isn't recyclable. A bike ride from Plaza Bonita mall to Memorial Park will demonstrate the ability to get around town without a car. And "fix-it" clinics will show how to extend the life of household products like small electronics to keep them out of landfills.
Medrano also says holding the event separately from the larger, County-wide Earth Day celebration will help the environment because people from the South Bay won't have to drive to Balboa Park or sit in traffic to learn about conservation.
"Obviously the greener you live, the better," said Medrano.
"Anything we can do to help the planet, that's our call to action."
