JCC’s 3rd Annual Earth Day Community Celebration

The JCC announced Indianapolis Power & Light Company and Citizens Energy Group as the co-title sponsors of its award-winning Earth Day Community Celebration to be held on Sunday, April 27. This partnership marks the first year that Indianapolis’s two major utilities have come together to support the JCC’s third annual free event to educate the public about the environment, conservation and sustainability with engaging activities for all ages. Cindy Leffler, Corporate Contributions Director of Indianapolis Power & Light Company remarks, “IPL is committed to environmental preservation as we strive to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy for our customers. Our support of the 3rd Annual JCC Earth Day Community Celebration is in alignment with our mission of environmental stewardship for generations to come. And partnering with Citizens just makes good sense.” Jeff Harrison, Senior Vice President, Engineering & Sustainability, echoed those sentiments, “Citizens Energy Group is committed to the sustainability of the community through innovation, viability and education. What better way to reach our community than through programs such as the JCC’s Earth Day event. Together, Citizens and IPL can help the JCC convey a vitally important message: we all need to be responsible stewards of the world in which we live. ” Last year, over 2,200 people attended the Earth Day Community Celebration at the JCC, sponsored by Indianapolis Power & Light Company. The family-friendly event kept the public actively engaged in projects and exhibits designed to educate people on a wide array of environmental topics. Attendees learned about renewable energy sources, waterways, nature, recycling and more. Forty-seven community partners and many underwriting sponsors from all over the state presented almost 60 activities to make learning accessible, engaging and fun. The JCC requires that Earth Day partners provide an activity, as opposed to a passive exhibit, to enhance the learning experience. For example, JCC Earth Day visitors constructed mini-greenhouses, participated in an orienteering exercise in the woods, made crafts from recycled materials and took advantage of free e-recycling of old computers and electronics. A sampling of community partners includes Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University, Indiana Recycling Coalition, Ivy Tech, Purdue University Solar Racing Team, Circle City Rain Barrels and Indy Parks. Some of Indy’s favorite food trucks were on the premises, as well as non-food vendors with “green and sustainable” items for sale. As in the previous two years, the Earth Day Celebration will begin with a community tree planting on the JCC campus in partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. KIB has helped the JCC plant more than 20 trees at the previous two Earth Day Celebrations and at an event in 2008 with the JCC’s preschool families. New this year, the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana are offering an official badge to girls who attend the JCC’s Earth Day Community Celebration. The event will count toward “It’s Your Planet-Love It” journey Cost for the badge is $3.