Earth Day

An Earth Day celebration and community walk will take place Saturday at Swarthmore United Methodist Church, 129 Park St. The rally will begin at 1 p.m. and the community walk be from 2-5 p.m. For more information, contact the Sierra Club at 610-771-0100 or log on to www.sierraclub.org/community/philadelphia.

Earth Day was celebrated Saturday at the Pennypacker Mills park in Schwenksville. There were exhibits, crafts, games and storytelling with an environmental flavor for participants.

Question: What do Bette Midler, Celestial Seasonings herbal teas, the National Cattlemens Association, Blimpie hero sandwiches, the Yellow Pages and Mr. Rogers have in common? Answer: Earth Day. From Hollywood to Washington, D.C., everybody is piling on the Earth Day bandwagon. "We didn't realize so many people would come along for the ride," said Peter Drekmeier, a spokesman for Earth Day 1990, the national group that organized the celebration. "We didn't predict such involvement from corporations," he said.

Although the 20th anniversary of Earth Day is not until April 22, the State Forestry Service isn't waiting until that time to celebrate. Begun two decades ago to make people more aware of the environment, Earth Day is frequently celebrated with local cleanup efforts. But in the Lebanon State Forest in Pemberton and Woodland Townships, Earth Day will be marked by planting trees - up to 200,000 of them. To get all those seedlings planted, state forestry officials are asking residents and groups to help them Saturday at the Lebanon site.

Celebrate Earth Day on Sunday at the National Constitution Center and learn how you can go green. From noon to 5 p.m., guests can learn how to become active citizens working for a better environment. You can take the "It Is Easy Being Green" quiz and see how much you know about living an eco-friendly life, and learn about environmental trailblazers such as Lady Bird Johnson. At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., guests can do the math by calculating the founding fathers' carbon footprint to see how environmentally friendly Philadelphia was during Revolutionary times.

When a bunch of concerned homeowners got together in the mid-1950s to talk about flood damage from recent hurricanes, they didn't dream that three decades later they'd be persuading townships and corporations to preserve open space and return land to its natural state. Since its 1957 incoporation, the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association has grown to 1,200 members, acquired 250 acres and now serves 6,500 people annually in its environmental education programs, said executive director David Froehlich.

I am an addict. Though I have heard or read thousands of confessions, sordid histories and tales of redemption over the years, I never expected to hear myself say those four words: I am an addict. One thing I can say for my addiction - it's not a lonely one. It is among the most pervasive, insidious, destructive habits in the world, and chances are that if you're reading this article, you are close to someone with this problem. I became a user at 16. This is when most Americans pick up the habit, although it can strike a person at anytime in his or her adult life.

The following events are going on in Chester County to honor Earth Month. Earth Day is April 22. Avondale. Stroud's fourth annual "Upstream Festival," a community event honoring Earth Day, Stroud Center, 970 Spencer Rd., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities include plant sales and streamside activities and exhibits. The theme of this year's festival is "World Rhythms. " The cost is $5 per carload to support the center, all welcome. Information: 610-268-2153, ext. 247. Chadds Ford.

Where's the party? If you're looking for Philadelphia's annual Earth Day celebration, don't look for it this Sunday in Fairmount Park. Organizers of the event - usually staged right after the traditional Earth Day, April 22 - are taking the year off. "There is no Earth SunDay in the Park for 1994," said Andrew Altman of the Clean Air Council, one of the event's usual sponsors. "I think that a lot of us were kind of worn out with the efforts of the past year and thought it was perhaps a good idea to skip a year and do a major celebration next year on the 25th anniversary," said Joanne Denworth, executive director of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, another major sponsor.

An increasing number of Bucks County residents are recycling cans, using cloth diapers and planting trees, according to county environmental activists. Part of the reason, they say, is last year's 20th anniversary celebration of Earth Day. Although this year's events, which begin Saturday morning, will be smaller in scope than in 1990, the activists say they expect the accomplishments of the last year to continue. "There is absolutely increased awareness . . . compared to what there was a year ago," said Susan Armstrong, president of the Bucks County Earth Day Alliance.

Celebrate Earth Day on Sunday at the National Constitution Center and learn how you can go green. From noon to 5 p.m., guests can learn how to become active citizens working for a better environment. You can take the "It Is Easy Being Green" quiz and see how much you know about living an eco-friendly life, and learn about environmental trailblazers such as Lady Bird Johnson. At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., guests can do the math by calculating the founding fathers' carbon footprint to see how environmentally friendly Philadelphia was during Revolutionary times.

FUNNY THING about the lists of "helpful planet-saving tips" that show up as Earth Day (Sunday) approaches: They rarely include, much less spotlight, the daily action that could have the most impact: cutting down your meat and dairy consumption. The United Nations has repeatedly stated that we must drastically change our eating patterns, given that somewhere from 18 percent (if you credit the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization 2006 estimate) to 51 percent (Worldwatch Institute's estimate, 2009)

GENEVA, Switzerland - It's high noon for the humble leap second. After 10 years of talks, governments are headed for a showdown vote this week on an issue that pits technological precision against nature's whims. The United States, France, and others are pushing for countries at a U.N. telecom meeting to abolish the leap second, which for 40 years has kept computers in sync with the Earth day. Leap seconds are necessary to prevent atomic clocks from speeding ahead of solar time.

Arnett Woodall heard that a crowd was poised to converge on his West Phillie Produce store Friday, and was greatly relieved to learn it was a mob of the carrot variety. A carrotmob is a good thing, especially when it marks the first National Food Day. But if the term carrotmob is strange and new, National Food Day - Monday - probably is too. A project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, National Food Day celebrates the changed place of healthy food in the national consciousness.

THE GIZMO: How'd you celebrate the Earth this month? We've been checking out new products that use precious resources more responsibly, saving our planet one gizmo at a time. IT'S A GAS (HYBRID): Love the petrol-sipping charms of the Toyota Prius hybrid, though not its relatively compact proportions? Maybe you'll be won over by the Prius V, now making the rounds of car shows and coming to dealers late summer. That's if Toyota can get its earthquake-shaken Japanese parts suppliers and assembly lines running at peak volume again.

The environment is the centerpiece of Earth Day activities Friday at the Academy of Natural Sciences. The Earth Day Festival, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will allow visitors to participate in activities that include the chance for guests to become Academy scientists by conducting water-testing experiments. Visitors can dissect fish during the Fish Filet event, play games, and also learn how to keep habitats healthy. At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., there will be an 11-minute episode of "Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That," followed by a live animal show.

Philadelphia officials had been hoping for a big announcement in time for Earth Day - the one that would say their 25-year, $2 billion plan for managing stormwater using trees, rain gardens, and other such "green infrastructure" had been approved. They didn't get it. But on Thursday, visiting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson was plenty positive. "It's a wonderful concept and a wonderful plan, so I am looking forward to a day in the near future when we can move forward on that approval," Jackson said at a tree-planting and ceremony in the courtyard of Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

By Thomas Hylton In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the value of trees in urban areas. Trees not only beautify our cities and towns; they also cleanse the air, absorb carbon dioxide, and lower ambient temperatures. Here in the Delaware Valley, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society recently launched an initiative to coordinate the planting of one million trees by 2020. It's easy to get people excited about planting new trees. It's far more difficult to ensure those trees will survive to maturity.

A goose that was found with a blow dart through its neck last week on the Manayunk Canal has been successfully treated and will be released back to the wild today. Rick Schubert, director of the Schuylkill Center's Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic (SWRC), said it took three days after the female goose was found April 13 before rescuers "gained its trust enough to pick it up. " "It was very skittish, obviously aware that it was injured and different from the others," he said.

10 for the Road You can plan now to attend these weekend events, occurring within a few weeks and within a day's drive of Philadelphia. 1. 21st annual Spring Miniature Dollhouse Show & Sale. Lancaster. April 17. Vendors and craftsmen will be on hand to help novices and veterans add handmade pieces to their miniature collections. Dollhouse furniture, supplies, and more. 610-689-4825; www.dollhouseminiatureshows.com . 2. Earth Gathering Festival. Chillicothe, Ohio.