Citizens Climate Lobby focuses attention on environment at Earth Day ‘half-birthday’ (photos)

"We need to take action," Tony Israel said Saturday.

The world only has about a decade left to take meaningful steps to stop the worst effects of climate change. That's scary, Israel said, but Lancaster is a good example of a place where solutions are being put into effect.

Israel was speaking at the Earth Day "half-birthday" event at Musser Park, a fall counterpart to Earth Day, held each year on April 22.

Lancaster's chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby joined other chapters around the country to mark the day. Israel was part of the Lancaster planning team, which assembled a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. event that featured music, spoken-word performances, community art and local leaders speaking about local climate initiatives.

Organizers said they were encouraged by Saturday's enthusiasm and hope to make the day an annual event.

While the crowd was relatively light, there were people there from every age, race, ethnicity and walk of life. That diversity is inspiring, Mayor Danene Sorace said.

"Climate is for everybody," she said.

Attendees could register to vote at a table set up by the nonpartisan organization Lancaster Votes. Candidates for office were also invited to Musser Park: Two Democrats accepted, Congressional candidate Bob Hollister and state Rep. Mike Sturla, who is seeking re-election in a redrawn district.

Elected representatives need to be engaged on climate and willing to take aggressive action, no matter what party they belong to, Israel said. Lancaster Citizens Climate Lobby is inviting candidates to respond to a survey on climate issues, with responses posted here.

Eric Sauder is the founder of RegenAll, a nonprofit that works with organizations and governments to evaluate their climate footprint and develop strategies for reducing it. Tackling the climate issue requires hope and a solutions-focused mindset, he said.

Eve Bratman, an environmental studies professor at Franklin & Marshall College, is the project lead of Lancaster Compost Co-Ops, which has stationed six community composting stations around the city. Membership is free; members must attend an orientation and are asked to contribute a few hours to help maintain the sites.

Members are composting about 200,000 pounds of refuse a year, saving Lancaster more than $5,000 in landfill tipping fees and preventing the emission of about 470 tons of carbon dioxide, Bratman said.

Poet and spoken-word artist Sir Dominique Jordan, founder of Tru2You, talked about the River Connections project, which is documenting local Black and Brown connections to the Conestoga River and sponsoring related community projects. Artists have been creating sidewalk murals around storm drains and volunteers have been organizing block-by-block litter cleanup events.

"There's power in community," Jordan said. "There's power in connection."

Photos