Earth Day 1990 to Be Marked by Bevy of S.D. Events

Repair, don’t replace. Buy refillable, not disposable. Use fly-paper, not bug spray, and take showers not baths. Conserve. Recycle. And don’t turn up the heat--wear a sweater.

If these earth-conscious catch phrases don’t tip you off, maybe the traffic jams in Balboa Park will--this Sunday is Earth Day, that national celebration devoted to spreading the word about protecting the planet. This weekend in San Diego County, scores of events are planned to drive the message home: This land is your land, San Diego--so keep it clean.

The main event is the daylong “EarthFair” in Balboa Park on Sunday, the 20th anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970. Organizers predict that 50,000 people from throughout the county will come out to enjoy the food, music, theater, videos, speakers and exhibits--all intended to teach San Diegans what they, as individuals, can do to help solve environmental problems.

Just getting to the festival could be the first lesson. In anticipation of traffic congestion, festival organizers are urging visitors to walk, ride bikes or take public transportation to the park.

“Earth Day--it’s not just another day to get where you’re going in the same old way,” says one flyer, which advises those who do drive to car-pool or to park in lots near the County Administration Building and take a free shuttle to the park.

Although education is EarthFair’s primary goal, the festival has been designed to be fun. There will be “Recycle Rap” music, a 5K run for the rain forest and an “eARTh” art show. Visitors will be invited to romp in the Urban Forest, a thicket of stacked newspaper “trees,” and to travel to the “KidZone,” where children come away with “environmental face-paint” on their cheeks.

Judging by a recent Times poll, the Earth Day agenda will likely find a receptive audience here. The random telephone survey, conducted March 10-13, found that the majority of San Diego county residents are in favor of protecting the environment, even if it means that some people will lose their jobs and that the government will have to spend a great deal of money.

In addition to governmental programs, however, festival exhibits will stress that individuals must do their part to make pro-Earth purchases and decisions: insulating their homes, tuning up their cars and using rechargeable batteries, florescent bulbs, recycled paper, halon-free fire extinguishers and biodegradable detergents, among other things.

The EarthFair is one of dozens of celebrations planned this week. On Saturday, a floating parade on San Diego Bay will draw attention to the pollution that plagues the waterway. Several communities, including Chula Vista and Escondido, have planned local celebrations on Saturday. And Adopt-A-Beach cleanups will be held up and down the coast.

Some businesses have gotten into the spirit as well. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Greentree Grocers, Big Bear Markets, Pannikin Coffee and Tea and Saffron Thai Grilled Chicken are all offering various incentives--from discounts to freebies--to customers who bring reusable dishes or canvas shopping bags.

The San Diego Wild Animal Park, meanwhile, is promoting recycling Friday by reducing its prices. On “Two-Can Day” Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., admission to the park (usually $14.50 for adults and $7.50 for children) will cost two aluminum cans (or two glass or plastic bottles) per person.

Chart of Activities Earth Day Events Cover the County

For more information about any of the events listed below, contact Carolyn Chase of the San Diego Earth Day 1990 Coalition, 4901 Morena Blvd., Suite 703, San Diego, CA 92117. 488-6116 or 488-3039.

* Through April 30--Natural Diversity: A Sierra Club Exhibition of Nature as Art. Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

* Through April 29--Earth Art Show, San Diego Art Institute, 1449 El Prado, Balboa Park. Open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, and Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Monday. Admission is free. In addition, on April 22, a larger “eARTh” showing will be displayed at the Spanish Village in Balboa Park.

* Through Sunday--Urban Forest. A forest created out of 6-foot stacks of newspaper, each representing a 35-foot tree. In the Spanish Village patio area of Balboa Park, San Diego.

* Through Sunday--Tree plantings in Allied Gardens, Balboa Park, Chula Vista and Emerald Hills and other neighborhoods. (Contact Norma Assam, People for Trees 231-3713).

TODAY

* U.S. Rep. Jim Bates speaks on “Ozone Depletion and Desertification” at Solomon Lecture Hall, University of San Diego, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

* Earth Day festivals at the University of California at San Diego (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Revelle Plaza, UCSD, La Jolla), the University of San Diego (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and San Diego State University (9 a.m.-3 p.m.).

* “Two-Can Day” at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Admission to the park, which is usually $14.50 for adults and $7.50 for children, will be reduced to two aluminum cans (or two glass or plastic bottles). 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SATURDAY

* Earth Day on the Bay. Organizers hope this Clean the Bay Boat Parade will be the largest environmental armada ever in San Diego Bay. Kayaks, canoes, powerboats and sailboats are welcome. Boaters who pay a $15 registration fee receive a six-color T-shirt. (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) To register, call 465-3241 or 222-3616.

* Adopt-a-Beach, a countywide cleanup campaign at 20 sites along San Diego’s coastline. (Contact I Love a Clean San Diego, 270-8393). One of the cleanups, at Black’s Beach in La Jolla, coincides with a “Surf for the Earth” surfing contest. 10 a.m. (For further information, contact Jennifer Horine at 558-6090).

* Chula Vista’s Earth Day celebration, “Recycle in Rohr Park.” Bring your recyclables, lawn chairs and picnic baskets for a day of live calypso music, entertainment, speakers and free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Earth Day cake. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

* John Muir Day. The Sierra Club has organized special hikes, bike trips and walks in honor of one of California’s most celebrated naturalists. Events include a walkabout at John Muir College, UC San Diego. (Information: Alex Sandie, 583-8525).

* Friends of Penasquitos Canyon Preserve Earth Day Ecology Walk. Those who want to take the 6-mile guided hike should bring a visor, sunscreen, water and a snack. Children are welcome. Meet at 9 a.m. at Johnson-Taylor Ranch House, located in the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve. Take canyon-side park entrance off Black Mountain Road in Mira Mesa. (Call 484-3219 for recorded, updated information).

* Backcountry Earth Day Cleanup. Join a northeast San Diego County cleanup of roadsides, trails and parks, followed by an Ecology Fair (from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.) at Warner School, Highway 79 in Warner Springs. Trash bags can be obtained at Warner School and Julian Town Hall at 8 a.m. Collected trash will be recycled and the proceeds will support local libraries. (Call Tamara Jasper for information, 782-3362).

* Celebrate Torrey Pines Day. Guided nature hikes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to celebrate San Diego’s beaches, lagoons, canyons and cliffs. Torrey Pines State Reserve, North Torrey Pines Road/Highway 101. Parking and admission are free.

* Escondido Earth Day Expo. Fifty environmental organizations will be represented at this fair in Grape Day Park, 201 N. Broadway, adjacent to City Hall between Valley Parkway and Woodward Avenue. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 741-4821.

* Santee kickoff for curbside recycling. (Contact Frank Boydston, 258-0206).

* Tree-etching demonstration. Claus Sievert will demonstrate the production of a hand-colored etching at the Nature Company in Horton Plaza. Noon to 3 p.m. (Call 231-1185 for information).

* Buena Vista Nature Center educational program. Educational programs and a new video “The San Luis Rey--A River Under Siege.” 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Buena Vista Nature Center, 2202 South Hill St., Oceanside. For information, call 439-2473.

* Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary nature hikes. Rustic trails pass through undisturbed Southern California chaparral. Guided hikes depart every hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At the sanctuary, Wildcat Canyon Road. (For information, call Gerald Cosgrove, 443-2998).

* Cabrillo National Monument environmental program. Environmental issues will be explored by speakers, exhibits and musicians from the San Diego area. 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive (Highway 209). Park entrance fee: $3 per car. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* YMCA Celebrates Earth Day 1990 in Encinitas, 8 a.m. to noon, at Magdalena Ecks YMCA, 200 Saxony Road, Encinitas. Tree seedlings will be sold at this pancake breakfast. Youth gymnastics demonstrations and recycling information will also be presented.

* Wilderness Gardens Preserve geology walk, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., on California 76, 10 miles east of I-15. Led by geologist Jim Clanin.

* Earth Day Eve Concert at Central Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. 6 p.m. Six bands, three speakers and several environmental groups. Admission of $6 benefits Environmental Life Systems Institute, a San Diego educational, nonprofit organization.

SUNDAY

* Earth Fair in Balboa Park. A day of speakers, food, educational displays and entertainment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* “5K Run for the Rain Forest.” Every $50 raised will purchase 1 acre of rain forest in Belize. The 5K run begins at 7:30 a.m.; the one-mile walk begins at 8:15 a.m. Race day registration begins at 5:30 a.m. (Registration and race information, 437-4556).

* Video Festival at the Grayson Boehm Lecture Hall of the Fleet Space Theatre and Science Center featuring short documentaries on topics ranging from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to San Diego environmentalists. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* San Diego Natural History Museum Earth Day celebration. The public is invited to bring rocks, fossils, shells, insects and plants for identification by museum scientists. Children will also be invited to draw a gray whale, working from a whale sculpture in front of the museum. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

* EarthSpeak, a daylong speakers’ forum in the Casa de Prado, will feature local environmental leaders.

* Music and theater at the Organ Pavillion. A noon rally will feature presentations by Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy, Congressman Jim Bates and State Sen. Lucy Killea.

* San Elijo Lagoon/MiraCosta College Earth Day celebration. Guided wildlife tours of the lagoon, recycling, water and energy conservation methods and an introduction to drought-conscious gardening. Also, visitors can make a papier-mache Least Tern decoy. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at MiraCosta College, 3333 Manchester Ave., Cardiff. 942-9431.

* Chula Vista Nature Interpretive Center. Explore plant pressing, fossil making and nest building and leave your mark on the “Marsh Print Banner.” Nancy Pollak, a master printer, will direct the creation of the banner using the gyotaku technique of fish printing and using plants and animals of the marsh as subjects. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1000 Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista. Admission is free. 422-2481.

* Anza-Borrego solar home demonstration. The public is invited to the all-solar electric home of Jim and Grace Rickard. 737 San Pablo Road., off Highway S3, three miles south of Christmas Circle. For information, call 767-3776.

*Giant mural at man-made tide pools. Anyone can add a drawing to this large depiction of California’s rocky shore. At the Scripps Aquarium, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.