With a vast assortment of activities, a booming artisan scene and ample opportunities to enjoy nature, Columbus, Ohio is a great destination to kick your spring off in style. The history of the city dates back to the early 19th century. Columbus was planned and laid out in 1812, and incorporated in 1816. Due to its central location in the state, it was named the capital of Ohio soon after incorporation. It didn't take long before people began to flock to the city thanks to its proximity to railways, opportunities to build a career, and the city becoming a hub for learning and culture. The Civil War brought a short lived population boom to the area, due to Camp Chase being located in Columbus. The 20th century saw continued growth in population, industry and commerce. Today, Columbus has a population of over 820,000 people and it's one of the top places to visit in the region.
Columbus is a vibrant and friendly city, with something to offer everyone who visits. The area is home to a great collection of zoos, amusement parks, botanical gardens and more. If you're a fan of history and art, you’ll find some great museums, galleries, art shows, and historic locations that will entertain and educate. The shopping here is unmatched, from unique small shops to massive outlet centers, you will certainly find something for you. The restaurant scene is impressive and expanding. Some of the finest chefs in the country call Columbus home and they embrace the farm-to-table movement, making for some one-of-a-kind culinary creations. Outside the city local rivers and lakes give you a wide selection of fun maritime activities to choose from including fishing, kayaking, rafting, boating and more. There are also some great parks and scenic public areas perfect for hiking, biking, ziplining, photography and just about any outdoor activity you can conjure up.
Visiting Columbus during the springtime means you’re in for some great festivals and events, like Earth Day Columbus. For the past 10 years, this event has been helping to bolster awareness and participation in preserving the natural environment. This is a massive volunteer movement, and over the last 10 years the event has been fortunate enough to receive the help of thousands of volunteers, donating over 82,000 hours. The volunteers partake in activities like planting trees, cleaning up public areas, preparing gardens, and raising awareness. It not all about the hard work, at the end of the week-long event there is a big celebration. This is a family-friendly event with food, live entertainment, games, and vendors selling unique eco-friendly products. ResortsandLodges.com got the chance to interview Kristen Pendry, Excutive Director of Green Columbus, to talk abou this great event.
RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.
KP: 2016 marks a decade of Earth Day Columbus’ Earth Day activities. Year after year, Earth Day Columbus has seen tremendous growth. In 2007, the theme was ‘A Year in a Day,’ which took a shot at gathering as many people together as possible to accomplish a year’s worth of environmental volunteerism in one day. Since then, our event has grown to seven days of sustainability-related activities during the week of April 22, Earth Day. This year Earth Day Columbus takes place from April 16 through April 23.
Over 82,000 hours of volunteer service have been logged in the history of Earth Day Columbus. Last year there were 197 service sites, which logged a total of 15,250 volunteer hours, and this year is trending to follow suit. Since Earth Day Columbus 2016: Branch Out is presented by the Columbus Foundation’s Green Funds and The City of Columbus, there is a greater focus on planting trees this year. We are aiming for 20,000 trees in total, in addition to all of the community garden preparation, invasive species removal, and litter cleanups that usually take place. For perspective, there were 10,000 trees planted at Earth Day service sites last year. Last September, the City of Columbus also launched an initiative to restore the tree canopy within the city by planting 300,000 trees by 2020.
Participants vary by role and involvement, as Earth Day is a massive practice in teamwork. It began with Green Columbus forming the Earth Day model in 2007. Our sponsors contribute funds, in-kind donations, and time, to ensure that Earth Day is possible for the countless community leaders who organize, coordinate, and register their volunteer projects. The volunteers bring the energy by committing their time to those service sites. If all of these people were to be tallied, there are thousands of people who enable the Earth Day effort to take place. This year, I’m planning for 5,000+ volunteers and well over 200 service sites.
RAL: What makes this event unique?
KP: Earth Day Columbus is the largest volunteer effort organized to celebrate this international holiday. In addition to all the volunteerism, Green Columbus also believes in gratitude. The culmination of the week is a celebration at the central green space in downtown Columbus called Columbus Commons. There are food trucks (did you know that Columbus is the Food Truck Capital of the US?) children’s area, live music throughout the day, beer sales for those who are of age, and eco-conscious vendors managed by people who comprise the natural living movement within the Cap City. The Earth Day Challenge Cup is also presented at the celebration to the organizations that provide or host the most volunteers at Earth Day service sites. On top of all the goodness, the event is zero-waste, meaning that at least 90% of all waste is diverted from landfill via compost or recycling. How awesome is that!?
RAL: Take me through a typical day at the event.
KP: The best day to stop by Central Ohio to check out Earth Day is April 23. Service sites, which can be viewed at EarthDayColumbus.org, occur from 8:00 am-noon on Saturday. They end in the middle of the day because the Celebration at Columbus Commons begins at 1:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to take pride in the week’s accomplishments, and the Mayor is slated to speak in between live music sets.
In addition to the celebration activities, the people who care most ardently for sustainability attend for the opportunity to network. Because the Columbus Commons is surrounded by downtown landscapes, it’s a great location in the heart of the city to soak in the friendly and liberal environment that many outsiders are unaware Columbus culture encapsulates. There are a lot of exciting and somewhat unknown initiatives occurring here, mostly because Columbus is within a one-day drive of over 50% of the United States’ population. We have access to people and their ideas. You are guaranteed to meet someone similar to yourself here. We’re proud of that and regularly practice welcoming newcomers.
RAL: What does this event mean to the community?
KP: Earth Day Columbus motivates residents to get outside. High school students begin to realize that their choices have an impact, positive or negative, on their neighbors and friends. Corporate employees organize team-building initiatives around service site schedules so that employees can emerge from an office setting into nature, where it has been scientifically proven that productivity skyrockets. Children bond with their parents, and parents learn alongside their children. The commonality is that everyone is working together and accomplishing goals that otherwise wouldn’t occur if we all worked alone.
RAL: Does the event support a special cause in the community?
All of the events immediately benefit the community. All proceeds benefit Green Columbus, the organizer of Earth Day Columbus. In addition to Earth Day, Green Columbus also organizes the Columbus chapter of Green Drinks, an international program that meets for happy hour once a month to discuss green topics that are relevant to each chapter’s community.
RAL: Why should people come to your event?
KP: People should join us because the work being done here is applicable and easy to replicate in any other community, no matter the size. The next step is to provide the model that has been developed by Green Columbus to other regions where people are simply looking to get involved with a focus on sustainability. If anyone out there is interested in visiting for Earth Day, I welcome him or her to email me at executivedirector@greencbus.org. If joining in physically isn’t possible, we’re also hosting a tree funding campaign that can be found by searching Green Columbus on Generosity.com.
For more information about Earth Day Columbus, please visit their website.