Encinitas Parks and Recreation commission plans for first …

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Parks and Recreation Commission discussed plans Tuesday for the city’s first Environment

Day, which will feature information booths, environmental vendors and how-to demonstrations June 3 at Cottonwood

Creek …

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Parks and Recreation Commission discussed plans Tuesday for the city’s first Environment Day, which will feature information booths, environmental vendors and how-to demonstrations June 3 at Cottonwood Creek Park.

Steve Fitch, a member of the subcommittee organizing the event, told commission members that the event will include an environmental art show by the 101 Artists Colony and exhibits by city departments to highlight each group’s environmental initiatives.

Entertainment will include speakers, poets, singers and drummers, Fitch said.

Aside from being entertaining, the event has a another purpose — to publicize environmental issues and initiatives.

“It’s long overdue that we all do our part to care for planet Earth,” said Encinitas Mayor James Bond.

Among the tasks the commission is working on are identifying sponsors for the event, planning for a children’s play area and signing up volunteers for the event and the cleanup afterward.

He said the goal is to get all aspects — from the government to local businesses to the residents — of the community involved.

“We would like our citizens to participate and to make this interactive,” he said.

He said the first two years of the event will be managed by the commission, and then the event will become “sponsor-funded.”

“The idea is to let this grow organically,” he said.

John Gjata, chairman of the subcommittee for the event, said the event will start off small and is expected to grow over the years.

“It will start from a fairly humble beginning, but it’s something that will capture the imagination of the city,” Gjata said.

Bob Nanninga, a former city parks and recreation commissioner and an event organizer, said information booths will be set up to educate people about clean air and water, animal welfare, and other issues affecting the environment.

He said the Environment Day is modeled after a much larger one in San Diego — the annual EarthFair.

He said the event’s location at the Cottonwood Creek Park is fitting, because the park “was designed with the environment in mind.”

He said the overall goal of Environment Day is to teach people what they can do to help.

“There are a lot of people who want to take care of the environment,” he said, adding that the event is one way of showing them “look what we’re doing to protect it and here’s how you can help.”