Song, dance, games and exhibitions will all be part of Pacific coast community festivities to celebrate the Earth next weekend.
The port town of Puerto Jiménez, on the southern PacificOsaPeninsula, will celebrate Earth Day with a festival geared toward children and families Saturday, April 21.
The event, the first of its kind and organized by area nonprofit organizations, will highlight the natural wonders of the Osa, internationally recognized as one of the most biologically rich zones in the world, while emphasizing the importance of recycling, conservation, renewable energies and environmental stewardship.
Students from more than 20 area schools were asked to submit drawings responding to the question, “What is your idea of living in harmony with the earth?” and more than 300 have already responded. Awards will be announced at the celebration.
Presentations for adults and children alike will cover important regional environmental themes ranging from deforestation to global warming. For more information, e-mail Millay Kogan at sustainable@laparios.com.
The following day, April 22, in the Quepos area on the central Pacific coast, Oceans Unlimited Scuba Diving will be honoring Earth Day by conducting an underwater port clean up. All certified divers are welcome to participate. Contact Oceans Unlimited at 777-3171 for information.
Also April 22, in Dominical south of Quepos, the Central and South Pacific Association of Friends of Nature (ASANA) will hold its first ever Earth Day Celebration at the Hotel Roca Verde.
Rock, ska, blues and indigenous music will be played by bands such as the Costa Rican rock band Evolución. The festival will include capoeira and salsa dancing, as well as fire dancers and a drum workshop. If you play the drums, bring your drums for a free workshop with Luciano Stazzone of Mano Santa and the Urban Tribal Project.
More than 30 booths will be set up to inform attendees about recycling, sustainable tourism and organic farming, among other issues. Admission is free and the party starts at 10 a.m., with a barbecue lunch. For more info call coordinator Dea Million at 333-1851 or ASANA at 787-0254.
