Local Earth Day Celebration Begins Wednesday

Mother’s Day isn’t until next month but another holiday--one that honors Mother Nature--is already here.

Earth Day, now in its 22nd year, sets aside 24 hours to pay respect to the environment and to remind people what they can do to preserve it. This year’s celebration is set for Wednesday, with some events also to be held on Saturday.

“We’d like everybody to be celebrating this every day,” said Meredith Manhard, president of the Volunteers and Organizations Improving the Community’s Environment, “but Earth Day is an excuse to remind people every year on how to recycle and preserve the environment. We really feel every person does make a difference.”

Here is a listing of some local Earth Day events:

Manhattan Beach--A dozen area groups concerned with the environment, from the League of Women Voters to the Surfrider Foundation, are sponsoring a celebration from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Joslyn Center, 1601 Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach. There will be music, door prizes and speeches by noted environmentalists. Special discount coupons will be presented to those who arrive by car pool, bike, skateboard, rollerblade, mass transit or their own two feet. Free copies of the recently published “Beach Cities Guide to Environmental Balance” will be distributed. For information, call (310) 519-3294 or (310) 545-1384.

Hawthorne--The city’s first Earth Day Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Hawthorne Memorial Park. Booths and exhibits will be set up by environmental groups and corporations. There will also be games, crafts, entertainment and free ice cream samples. The event is co-sponsored by Northrop Corp. For information, call (310) 970-7905 or (310) 201-3458.

San Pedro--Cabrillo Marine Museum will hold a trash cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday along the shoreline and tide pools of Point Fermin Marine Life Refuge. At 1 p.m., naturalists will lead tours of the Salinas de San Pedro salt marsh near the museum, a haven for more than 50 species of fish and the winter feeding grounds for migratory shore birds. Informational booths will be staffed throughout the day by local environmental groups. For information, call (310) 548-7562.

Torrance--There will be a nature walk and bird watch at Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve at 4 p.m. Wednesday. For information, call 32M-ARSH.

Redondo Beach--Local officials and environmental advocates will gather at the Western Waste Redondo Beach Recycling Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday for speeches and environmental displays. There will be an unveiling of the center’s new material-processing line and tours of the facility. Officials from Carson, Gardena, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach will be represented. For information, call (310) 329-1425. Another Redondo Beach event, a nature walk for preschool children, will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Wilderness Park. Call (310) 519-3294 for reservations.