LAGUNA BEACH : Youngsters Get Lessons on Ecology

Dozens of tiny faces frowned in concentration as their owners pondered the question put to them by a young woman standing on stage: How does a plastic bag harm an animal?

Finally, 6-year-old Shaina Wilson of Mission Viejo raised her hand.

“It’ll kill ‘em,” she announced triumphantly.

Shaina was among dozens of children brought by their parents to the Festival of Arts grounds in Laguna Beach on Sunday for Earth Festival, a daylong environmental celebration that launched a series of local events leading to Earth Day, April 22.

Although attendance was sparse--only about 500 people had paid $1 to enter the festival grounds during the first two hours of the event--festival organizers called it a success from the standpoint of increasing environmental awareness.

“This shows there is a network of people in Orange County interested in saving the environment,” Julia Cole, coordinator of the Earth Festival, said as families trickled into the grounds under cool, gray skies.

The festival was focused on children, Cole added, to instill in them at an early age respect for the environment.

“The goal is to have children create a positive vision of a future in which we respect and care for our home,” she said.

Festival organizers sought to make their environmental theme more interesting to children by presenting the message through a series of plays and concert performances. In one skit, members of the Dana Hills High School drama class dressed as trees to demonstrate the need to protect the forests from excessive logging. In another skit, youths dressed up as garbage to get across their point for the need to recycle more.

“It really gets kids’ attention, which causes them to listen,” said 14-year-old Renn Amstead of El Toro, who dressed up as a garbage bag during a “Clean Up Your Act” performance by the Young Conservatory Players of the South Coast Repertory Theatre.

Meanwhile, adults browsed past booths and exhibits staffed by a variety of environmental organizations, including Laguna’s own Save the Canyon group. The city-sponsored Laguna Beach Recycles group was also represented, with “Laguna Beach Recycles” bumper stickers and refrigerator magnets being handed out by a staff official.

A highlight of the day for children came at 1 p.m. when Michael Mish presented his “Kids’ Eye View of the Environment” show. Mish entertained with such songs as “My Electric Car” and “Write to Your Senator,” as well as by imitating voices from popular cartoon characters.

Outside the show, Mish said children are a strong tool for the environmental movement.

“I think their participation is needed now more than ever because kids are a lot more passionate than adults on the things they pursue,” Mish said. “And they really want to know what they can do.”