Palmetto Bay will celebrate Earth Week, Apr. 20-27, with a different special event each day, all geared to family participation and helping the environment.
Parks and Recreation director Fanny Carmona-Gonzalez and the rest of the village staff have lined up a number of activities.
“I enjoy all of the events and I think that we have a wide range of different types of events to cater to an entire family,” Carmona-Gonzalez said. “We do the ladybug release at the elementary level with the younger kids, and we also have the poster contest for the older fifth graders.
“We have the movie night, which usually brings in the entire family, and now we have the bike ride which caters to all ages, so I think we’re providing events throughout the week that we can engage the entire family to participate.” The week begins on Saturday, Apr. 20, with village participation in Baynanza 2013, helping to clean an important natural resource, Biscayne Bay and its surroundings. Palmetto Bay volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to noon at one of two sites with shoreline areas, the Deering Estate or Palmetto Bay Village Center. This is the 31st anniversary of Baynanza.
The joint Bike Ride and Rodeo, running from Cutler Bay to Palmetto Bay and back again, is on Sunday, Apr. 21, starting at 8 a.m., with activities at Ludovici Park.
From Monday, Apr. 22, through Wednesday, Apr. 24, are the Ladybug School Visits. Village officials will assist students in releasing thousands of ladybugs into school gardens, a green approach better than pesticides because ladybugs eat destructive aphids.
“The ladybug release has nine different schools,” Carmona-Gonzalez said. “We go to three different schools each day. It’s a mix of public schools and private schools.”
Then on Thursday, Apr. 25, is the Poster Contest and Tree Planting, as area fifth graders participate in a poster contest to capture the theme “The Face of Climate Change.” The contest will be judged by members of the Village Tree Board. The winning school will be honored with a tree-planting ceremony by village officials.
Earth Week Movie Night is on Friday, Apr. 26, at 7 p.m., at Coral Reef Park, 7895 SW 152 St. The appropriate film is The Lorax, based on the Dr. Seuss children’s book with a strong ecology message.
“On Family Movie Night we did do a survey online where everyone who wanted to participate could log in and conduct the survey, and due to the results we received we’re showing the movie The Lorax,” Carmona-Gonzalez said.
Wrapping up the week’s events is the Free Tree Giveaway on Apr. 27. Palmetto Bay residents may go to Ludovici Park, 17641 Old Cutler Rd., from 9 a.m. to noon, and pick up a free tree. Only one tree per resident is allowed and residents must provide ID and their own transportation for the trees or saplings.
For event information call Village Hall at 305-259-1234, or visit the village’s environmental website at www.palmettobaygreen.com
