Sunday, April 6th Earth Day Marin Festival & Day of Action Combines Music and Fun with On-site Actions That Make A Difference

 The Earth Day Marin 2014 Festival and Day of Action on Sustainability Solutions will be a fun, free, family-friendly event and a day of action on sustainability solutions addressing drought, climate change and other environmental concerns on Sunday, April 6th from 11am to 5pm at Redwood High School, 395 Doherty Drive, Larkpsur (Rain or Shine).

The entertainment packed day includes inspiring speakers & authors, award-winning storytellers, puppet shows, hands-on fun and high quality music –  Tim Cain, "Mick Jagger of the Milk & Cookies Set" will kick off the music at 11am. Also featured will be Americana Jam Joshua Tree/Kate Wolf/High Sierra Festival Favorite Alice DiMicele (as seen with Baez, Grisman, Guthrie, Franti, etc.), Swiss rising star Sareena Overwater, SF Irish Music Fest Favorite Lucia Comnes, dubbed “ a singular voice” by the SF Chronicle and more.

Inspiring speakers include keynote speaker John Wick of Marin Carbon Project -- called a 'carbon visionary' by Post Carbon Institute at 4:30pm, as well as Marin Municipal Water District Board President Armando Quintero, Jeffrey Westman of Marin Organic, permaculture author Juliana Birnbaum of Sustainable [R]evolution, former Rainbow Warrior Crewman Brandon Barber of Amazon Watch, climate expert, Dr. Peter G. Joseph of Climate Reality Project & Citizen’s Climate Lobby, TEDx SF speaker Pandora Thomas of Pathways to Resilience and GreenLife at San Quentin State Prison, Ecological entrepreneurs Patty Garbarino of Marin Sanitary Service, David Kunhardt of SolED, Jonathan Cook of Good Green Moving and Rachel Ginis of Lilypad Homes. MCs include Diana Dehm host of national online radio show Sustainability News & Entertainment and founder of the Trash on Your Back 5 Day Challenge and Robin Carpenter, host of the Farm & Foodshed Report on KWMR radio and regular contributor to Edible Marin & Wine Country Magazine.

At 2:40 in the afternoon, Shore Up Marin will host a community dialogue about the impacts of climate change on water and sea level rise in Marin.  Come share your concerns. Are flooding, king tides, FEMA rates, infrastructure, community safety and emergency planning on your mind? Find out what Marin residents, public agencies, and grassroots organizations are doing to prepare.  You will be able to join the campaign by signing Shore Up’s pledge to get Marin communities ready to face rising tides and reduced water availability!  

Several short films will be shown including “The Invisible Peak” by Gary Yost, a 22-minute film narrated by Peter Coyote was selected by the Tiburon and Sacramento International Film Festivals. It reveals the hidden Cold War history of Mt. Tam’s West Peak, covers its restoration and illustrates its current condition. This program is co-presented by Marin Municipal Water District. Additional films will include a mini documentary about the MCE Solar Installation at the San Rafael Airport and others.

The Day of Action will offer dozens of diverse, meaningful and measurable on-site actions that advance sustainability, offered by leading nonprofits, businesses, agencies, students and community groups.

Marin Municipal Water District will provide free stainless steel water bottles for the first 500 attendees who take action at the festival to reduce their water use. The water district will offer a variety of information, resources and take-home items, such as free high-efficiency showerheads and faucet aerators, to help festival-goers save water and money, and to learn more about where their water comes from.

Join Marin Clean Energy and take action by choosing 100% renewable Deep Green energy at Earth Day Marin and you will have the opportunity to vote for a local nonprofits to be awarded $1,000 for first place and $500 to second and third places - plus 50% of the revenue from Deep Green customers funds new local solar development.

Earth Day Marin and Marin Municipal Water District invite music lovers, families and people who care about conservation to participate in a 2pm Water Rally at the main stage featuring popular independent touring musician Alice DiMicele teaching attendees to sing her classic water conservation song “Made Out of Water.” The program will include humor, an inspirational call to action from MMWD Board President Armando Quintero and a celebration of conservation heroes.

The event hosts 10 finalists of a Green Songwriting Contest copresented by West Coast Songwriters and the national online Sustainable News and Entertainment Radio (deadline to enter 3/31). The Grand Prize Winner will receive 8 hours at the legendary Fantasy Studios. Other prizes include production of a song at Studio 7GS and Yormo, Inc. as well as features on Sustainability News & Entertainment Radio. Celebrity judges to be announced.

Marin Earth Authors present a series of four celebrated local authors starting at 12:40pm. Poet Terri Glass has written The Song of Yes and other books, and directed the California Poets in the Schools program. Novelist Raymond Welch draws on his work as a former natural gas trader and energy consultant in A Change in the Weather, about how climate change tears apart a Bay Area family in 2028. William Carney, president of Sustainable San Rafael, will read from his new epic poem on the history of the earth and cosmos, Mountain, An Evolutionary Epic. Life coach and facilitator of poetry and journal therapy Mary Reynolds Thompson will read portions of Embrace Your Inner Wild and her forthcoming Reclaiming the Wild Soul.

The family friendly activities will include puppet shows from Next Generation at 1 and 4pm, Sea Party the Sea-Quel, the second year of games, Eco-demos, education on marine ecology & fun from Greenwood School students, Yoga for kids 2-7 offered by Veronica Geretz at 1:30 and 4:30pm and more. Next Generation and Redwood High School Students will offer a tour of the on campus organic farm at 3pm. award-winning storytellers curated by 350Marin perform at 11:30 and 2:40pm. Alicia Retes' traditional Native American story stresses the importance of working together cooperatively in order to live healthy, happy lives. In philosopher/environmentalist John Muir's own words, Garth Gilchrist weaves together waterfalls and the place of humans in the natural world. Ranging across continents, Erica Lann-Clark's dolphin story is from Russia, while a story that predicts woe to those who fail to understand that all things are connected comes from Africa. And Kirk Waller's "pourquoi" or origin story, "Why It Rains," vividly shows what happens when nature is out of whack. In addition to the four tellers, 350Marin's information table will feature a face painter for children, Monica Umana. Children can choose among four "faces": monarch butterfly, whale, tiger and frog, all species impacted by climate breakdown. Along with each face, children will get a small handout explaining how climate breakdown is hurting this species and what people are doing to help.

Attendees of all ages will enjoy sustainable fare from Lotus Cuisine of India, Lydia’s Organics and Real Cool Frozen Treats.

Bring e-waste to the Computer & Technology Resource Center booth (read guidelines at EarthDayMarin.org carefully).

Community service volunteer opportunities for youth and adults available - visit EarthDayMarin.org.

Marin Municipal Water District will provide drinking water for the event. Please bring a bottle or cup. Valet Bicycle Parking provided by Marin County Bicycle Coaltion. Earth Day Marin is a Zero Waste Event thanks to Marin Sanitary Service, Conservation Corps North Bay and Zero Waste Marin.

The event also includes engaging sustainable exhibitors representing best practices and products in business, nonprofits, education and government with extensive resources, products, actions to take, games and hands-on activities for all ages.

For all the details please visit http://www.EarthDayMarin.org

Sponsors include Marin Municipal Water District, Marin Clean Energy, Marin Transit, Marin Sanitary Service, Good Green Moving, Hannah Doress Events, Good Earth Natural Foods, Marin Independent Journal, Shore Up Marin, Central Marin Sanitation Agency, Las Gallinas Sanitation District, Novato Sanitation District, Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin, Sausalito-Marin City Sanitation District, Sanitary District No. 5, Tiburon & Belvedere, Lilypad Homes, DriWater, Ace Printing, Conservation Corps North Bay, Goodman Building Supply, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Spare the Air, WM EarthCare, Urban Farmer Store, Amazon Watch, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, 350Marin, Marin Organic, Next Generation, Families for Clean Air, Marin Grassroots, Canal Welcome Center, GreenUp Learning, Sun First Solar Energy Solutions, Sustainability Team of Marin, Mary's Organic Chickens, San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, San Rafael Airport, City of San Rafael, Sustainable Marin, SolEd Benefit Corporation, Mary's Organic Chicken, Rogers Remodel, Marin Carbon Project, Citizen's Climate Lobby, Resilient Neighborhoods, Redwood High School Environmental Action Club, Greenwood School, Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, Bellam Self-Storage, Sungevity, SMART, Stagehand Systems, Local Music Vibe, IsBridge Access Development Databases, MyWebPresenceNow.com, OntheOne Merchandise, Urban Bird Design.