Earth Day Initiative Showers Hilliard with Student and Community Effort.
Workshop to teach residents the many benefits of rain barrels.
In recognition of Earth Day, Hilliard residents can obtain a free rain barrel and diverter kit while learning about the benefits of their use at a public event 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 15 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia Street.
The “Community Backyards” workshop is presented by Keep Hilliard Beautiful, the Hilliard Public Arts Commission, and Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District and is a first in Hilliard.
Rain barrels capture and collect rainwater runoff from the gutters and downspouts of residences and commercial buildings where it can be stored for future use, such as watering gardens or washing vehicles and conserves water.
Diverters prevent leaves and other debris from collecting in the barrel and shuts off if the barrel is full, preventing barrel overflows and allowing rainwater to flow into storm sewers as it would absent a rain barrel.
Pre-registration is required at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ejl6x48saf9a122c&llr=nhlut8zab
Registration is limited to residents of the City of Hilliard.
Those with mailing addresses in Hilliard or only within the Hilliard school-district boundaries are not eligible.
The event is to be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Participants are to be using spray paint and it is suggested to dress appropriately.
It is recommended to bring chairs and barrels must be claimed by 1 p.m., after drying.
A recycling drop-off and litter pick-up at the fairgrounds are to be held in conjunction with the Community Backyards workshop.
Students from Brown Elementary School and Hilliard Heritage, Memorial, and Weaver Middle Schools are also contributing to the Earth Day event.
The students painted 26 rain barrels for participating businesses in the Old Hilliard district and are to be on hand April 22 to provide stencils to residents and direction in painting the rain barrels.
Earth Day is recognized each April 22 and was first held in 1970.
At a UNESCO conference in San Francisco in 1969, peace activist John McConnell proposed a single day to honor Earth and the concept of peace and chose March 21, spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.
A month later, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) proposed the idea of making the effort a more comprehensive, annual observance and today is widely credited as the founder of Earth Day, first recognized as Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
The theme for Earth Day 2023 is Invest in Our Planet.
Hilliard’s 2023 program began with a donation of syrup barrels from Coca-Cola, said Chuck D’Andrea, an innovation and discovery specialist at Brown Elementary School and a member of Keep Hilliard Beautiful.
Keep Hilliard Beautiful reached out to the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District and the effort began to convert the donated barrels into rain barrels to be used by Old Hilliard businesses, D’Andera said.
Seventy-seven students at Brown Elementary School visited the Innovative Learning Hub at Hilliard schools’ Innovation Campus to work with students from each of the district’s three middle schools enrolled in art and ecology class instructed by Amanda Schaeffer.
The students helped to convert and paint the barrels to be used by businesses in the Old Hilliard district and conceived of a “scavenger hunt” using QR codes to lead people to find each of the barrels in the Old Hilliard district, D’Andrea said.
The program was further developed as a community Earth Day activity.
“Our students (at the Hub) will provide stencils and will be there to help residents paint (the rain barrels), too,” Schaeffer said.
Hilliard City Councilman Pete Marsh and liaison to the city’s environmental sustainability commission, encourages residents to participate.
“This year's ‘Earth Week’ events will be bigger than ever with a new location at the Franklin County Fairgrounds and more activities designed to inform and engage our community. In addition to some of our traditional activities, such as paper shredding, electronics recycling, and household goods recycling, the ESC is partnering with Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District and Keep Hilliard Beautiful to share information and resources about the benefits of having rain barrels on your property.”
In addition, Franklin County 4-H programs are hosting the 4-H Clover 5K at the Franklin County Fairgrounds and the Franklin County 4-H Council will be hosting a walk-and-serve event in which the public can learn about non-profit organizations, how they serve the community, and how young people can help meet some of those needs.
“We were fortunate to have so many businesses involved, (our partners) and the students, too,” D’Andrea said.