Commemorate Earth Day with film screenings, lectures, festivities, seminars, workshops, family gatherings and live music.
• Ten Thousand Villages in Montreat (303 Outlook Road) hosts a special shopping event on Thursday, April 22, and will donate 10 percent of sales to volunteer group Rainbow Recycling. There's also a recycling scavenger hunt, a lesson on how to wrap herb pots in newspaper and free herb seedlings for participants to take home. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Info at 669-1406 or montreat.tenthousandvillages.com.
• Warren Wilson College's Environmental Leadership Center offers the Mountain Green Series, which consists of guest speakers and a walking tour. On Thursday, April 22, The Green Walkabout introduces participants to the best practices for building green. 1 to 2:45 p.m. in Canon Lounge, Gladfelter building. RSVP to scross@warren-wilson.edu. The lecture "Taking Responsibility for a Sustainable World," with Maggie Ullman is held from 3 to 5 p.m., Kittredge Theater. Both events are free. Info at 771-3781 or mountaingreenwnc.org.
• A-B Tech Green Power hosts a free showing of Kilowatt Hours: A Plan to Re-Energize America with a discussion following the movie. It's held Thursday, April 22, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Holly Library, room 121 (downstairs) on A-B Tech's main campus. For more information, email kgetz@abtech.edu with "Kilowatt Ours" in the subject line of your email.
• The White Horse Black Mountain's Earth Day Minifest benefits Full Moon Farm (a sanctuary for wolfdogs and captive-bred wolves). Fifth World Planet, Joe Carlson and Joe Hallock & the Flat Rock Boys play the event. With pizza from Mellow Mushroom and a big raffle. Bring your styrofoam/computers/batteries to recycle.Thursday, April 22, 5 p.m. Free.
• Awakening the Dreamer Symposium is held on Thursday, April 22, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville (1 Edwin Pl., 254-6001). "Celebrate changing the dream. Snacks and tea provided." 6 to 9 p.m., register at devwilliams@juno.com.
• Sierra Club — America's oldest, largest and most influential grass-roots environmental organization — hosts its monthly meeting, also at the UU Church on Thursday, April 22. Hartwell Carson of WNC Alliance will speak on the water-quality impacts of the Progress Energy plant on the French Broad River. 7 to 9 p.m. Info at nc.sierraclub.org/wenoca or 251-8289.
• Local nonprofit Culture's Edge sponsors a free program on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 7:30 to 9 p.m., at the UCC Church (40 Oak St.). Andrew Goodheart Brown will screen excerpts of the video "The Global Gardener." Info at 253-0095 or appalachian.org.
• The Environmental & Conservation Organization (ECO) holds Earth Day events at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. On Thursday, April 22, the award-winning documentary film, Earth Days, will screen. 7 p.m., $5 suggested donation.
On Saturday, April 24, return to BRCC for an outside daytime family community festival with an outdoor solar stage, local musicians, storytellers and performance artists. Workshops focus on sustainable gardening and green energy. Other activities include a water festival, art projects and a green Olympics for kids, a greenway hike, a student short film festival, recycling of household batteries, tree planting, an electric car race and more. (Activities take place at the large field by the Spearman Building or in the BRCC Technology Building in case of rain.) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free.
That evening, bluegrass band, Balsam Range and Americana artist Shannon Whitworth perform at the Blue Ridge Conference Hall. 8 p.m., $15-$20. Info at 692-0385 or eco-wnc.org.
• Earth Day Flea Market & Recycling Collection takes place in Black Mountain in the public parking lot on Route 9, adjacent to Sun Trust Bank. Shop or rent a flea market space; Boogie Down Electronics and Rainbow Recycling team up to collect unwanted styrofoam packing, computers, cell phones, scanners, fax machines, regular and rechargable batteries, printers, small TVs, VCRs and DVD players. 9 a.m. to noon. Info at Black Mountain Recreation & Parks, 669-8610.
• RiverLink's Picnic at Carrier Park takes place Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring a picnic blanket, enjoy healthy snacks from Earth Fare and check out RiverLink's new childhood-obesity-prevention program Itty Bitty Bikes. Also on the itinerary: free hot air balloon rides from 9 to 11 a.m., a 10 a.m. nature walk, the Friends of the WNC Nature Center to bring animals at 10:30, a bike parade at 11 a.m., grilling from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a guided walk at noon and a plant exchange (bring your extra seeds or plants) at 1 p.m. Free. Info at riverlink.org.
• St. Luke's Episcopal Church (219 Chunn's Cove Rd.) holds an Earth Day celebration "intended to explore why environmental sustainability is a spiritual concern, and what we can do to help." Events include an outdoor ceremony of prayer, song and dance includes leaders or clergy of seven different faiths expressing how each faith honors the earth and nature as part of creation; planting new wildlife-friendly indigenous plants at St. Luke's; child-friendly educational activities and a potluck meal. Bring finger food for the potluck: No eating utensils will be provided. Azalea bushes will be collected to be donated to Habitat for Humanity. Participants are asked to carpool. Sunday, April 25, 3 to 5 p.m., info at 253-4911.
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