On Sunday, April 21, about 1,000 people learned about the latest green technology while listening to music, getting their faces painted, and meeting some adorable animals, among other activities, at Newton’s third-annual Earth Day Festival.
The event, organized by Green Newton, the city’s Climate Team, and the EV Task Force, was held at Newton North High School and featured businesses, nonprofits, entertainment, and more.
Leif, 5, enjoyed petting goats and bunnies from Enchanted Animal Parties. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Bike Newton discussed bike safety. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Michael and Aiden, 9, played a wooden sustainability game. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Liora Silkes, Newton’s Energy Coach, used a model home to explain 20 green upgrades people can make (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Aiden, 9, and Daniel, 11, played a sustainability game designed by artists he designed by artist Andrew Breithaupt for Mass Energize. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Lukas, 6, learned how to make a pollinator mix at the Puddlestompers Nature Exploration booth. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Hannah, 6, and Olivia, 8, were happy to have their faces painted. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
A model of the Swap Shop at Newton’s Resource Recovery Center. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Visitors to the Newton Community Farm’s booth could see worms up close at the Earth Day Festival at Newton North High School on April 21. (photo: Julie M. Cohen) 
Emily Gelbert as a chicken, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, and John Dundon as a cow (photo: Julia Huston) Gallon jugs illustrate the amount of water required to produce meat-based foods (photo: Julia Huston)
“I think that Newton’s Earth Day Festival is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how many people in the community are taking steps to protect the environment,” said Judy Lehrer Jacobs, executive director of Green Newton. “People were also able to come together as a community, have fun and learn how they can take actions on a local level to make a difference to Newton and the local environment.”
MassEnergize, a nonprofit, featured environmental games designed by Newton resident Andrew Breithaupt.
With an aim at building fun, engaging activities, Breithaupt said he looked at old, wooden Dutch games for inspiration. He built the sustainability games by reusing materials from free dormitory desks he picked up at Harvard University’s recycling and surplus center. Breithaupt said the process took about a month and a half.
Live music could be heard at one end of the festival while quacks and baas could be heard at the other. Children formed a long line to greet goats, bunnies, ducks, and other critters from Enchanted Animal Parties in a small pen at the far end of the event.
There were several other choices for kids, including having their faces painted, creating a pollinator mix they could take home, or enjoying some tasty treats.
“We heard great feedback from attendees. People appreciated all the fun, environmentally related games, the lively music — and the opportunities to learn about how they can personally protect the environment,” said Lehrer Jacobs. “They also enjoyed meeting other people in their community that care about the environment.”
Attendees found out about many ways to be more environmentally friendly right here in Newton — from learning more about composting and getting info on home upgrades that will save money while reducing emissions, to being introduced to the “Swap Shop” at the City’s Resource Recovery Center at 115 Rumford Avenue.
Folks from the First Unitarian Society’s Plant-Based Eating Club, in cow and chicken costumes, explained the environmental impact of meat-based eating:
- It takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef for a meal.
- It takes 1,000 gallons of water to grow a single chicken from shell to shelf.
- One quarter-pound serving of beef results in greenhouse gases equivalent to driving a gas car 20 miles.
- The world’s biomass of land animals is 30% humans, 66% slaughterhouse animals, and 4% wild animals.
Other exhibitors at the festival included: 350 Mass, Aarshi & Friends, Better Action Now on Artificial Turf in Newton, Bike Newton, Black Earth Compost, Charles River Food Co-op, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather, Elephant Energy, Endless Energy (Mass Save Insulation), Fulfilled Goods, Future Energy Solar, Green Century Funds, Green Newton, Greenvest, HELPSY, League of Women Voters of Newton, Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, Mass Save, Mothers Out Front Newton, Muirfield Mechanical / Heritage Home Services, NEC Solar, NEEECO, Newton Community Education, Newton Community Farm, Newton Conservators, Newton Energy Coach, Newton EV Task Force, Newton Power Choice, Newton Recycling Committee, Newton Sustainable Materials Management Commission, Newtonville Books, Protect Newton Trees, PUDDLESTOMPERS Nature Exploration, Pure Solutions, Recirclable, ReuseFit, ReVision Energy, and Service Stars.
