Latest news with #EarthDayExpo
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
54th Community Cleanup Week
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) — Garbage bags are filling up around Rapid City as they celebrate Clean Up Week. Groups have been cleaning up trash and other litter across the city in celebration of Earth Day. Witnesses called in Sioux Falls murder trial Each year this week-long event sees thousands of residents doing their part, many who return each year to keep making an impact. 'I think last year about halfway up we generated about 30 full bags of trash alone. Beer cans, diapers, you name it and it's just so sad to see that. So it's important to us to keep it clean,' Weather Tite Exteriors Marketing Manager Hillary Chandler said. Groups typically pick up in some of the 1,700 acres of park space, along highways, and throughout other urban areas rain or shine. 'We had a job to do, knew it was going to be raining, but we did it anyway, that's what really defines South Dakota. Even when it's tough, even when it's dirty you do it anyway. We see people do it on farms and ranches, we see people do that in businesses and in life. It's even displayed in things like cleaning up your community,' Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun said. 'I love it. Honestly, I travel a lot and I see trash on sidewalks and the parks. It's just heartbreaking because we live here and we love it here, and seeing it clean and taken care of, there's nothing more satisfying to me,' Chandler said. This week provides an opportunity for the community to come together and be good stewards of the land. 'Nobody wants to live where it's dirty and messy. They want it to be clean, they want it to be beautiful and here in Rapid City, there's no place more beautiful than Rapid City, it's such a gorgeous city. We have a lot to be proud of so it's really cool to see an entire community come out in great numbers and say no this is our town, we're going to keep it clean,' Salamun said. The city-wide Cleanup Week has been successfully going for 54 years. This Saturday will be the culmination of Cleanup Week with the Earth Day Expo taking place at Western Dakota Tech. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Earth Day enthusiasts gather at annual event
Apr. 22—Eleanor Mauritzen is turning her knowledge about the environment into activism. The 9-year-old and several friends picked up over 10 gallons of trash along the Parkline Trail in downtown Kalispell. Next, they are planning to clean up litter at Lawrence Park. It's the premise of a club she started aimed at making the environment "nice, beautiful and clean — especially clean." "I feel like the Earth just needs some help," said Mauritzen while adding magazine cutouts to a group collage at the Earth Day Expo Saturday at Flathead Valley Community College. Flathead Valley residents got an early start celebrating Earth Day, which is officially April 22, with the all-day exposition featuring clean energy showcases, panels and kids activities. About 400 people attended the event, and more than three dozen local businesses and organizations signed on to host booths. The Montana chapter of Citizen's Climate Lobby first organized the exposition in 2023 after Angie Winter, the organization's co-leader, said she noticed other Earth Day celebrations were being phased out. This year, the organization focused on the theme of Healthy Planet, Healthy Community. "It really comes down to the community," said Winter. "We want people to have a safe space where they can come together and talk about the planet and how its impacting them personally." While the event featured several panels tailored to adult audiences, Winter said she wanted participants of all ages to walk away with a better understanding of the environment. Russ Masse drove from Eureka with his wife and 4-year-old daughter, Isaly. Isaly is a "budding bird nerd" so she was particularly excited about the chance to see an exhibit from Montana Wild Wings, an organization that rehabilitates injured raptors, but the family had also enjoyed several of the expo's other features, including facepainting, crafts and a storytelling session by Native educator Mariah Gladstone. "It's pretty cool to have our kiddo exposed to this stuff," said Masse. "It's fun to watch her watch things. She's such a sponge." An afternoon panel featured several other budding activists from Glacier, Columbia Falls and Whitefish high schools. The students spoke about their efforts to increase awareness of climate issues within their schools and their future ambitions as scientists and community leaders. "When it comes down to it, I care about the environment because I want it to be a nice place to live," said Annie Church, a sophomore at Glacier High School. As to what everyday citizens could do to help the environment, she suggested starting with simple changes, like opting out of plastic drink lids and straws at restaurants and attending events like the Earth Day Expo to learn more about environmental issues like climate change. "I think individual change comes when you start talking about things," she said. While the United States does not officially recognize Earth Day as a holiday, it is widely celebrated on April 22 each year and commemorates what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement. Other local Earth Day events include a river cleanup organized by Flathead Rivers Alliance and Wild Montana set for April 26. For more information, visit Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@ or 758-4433. Isaly Benedetti-Masse, 4, prepares to launch an air rocket at the 2025 Earth Day Expo. (Hailey Smalley/ Daily Inter Lake) A volunteer with Montana Wild Wings shows off Duchess, a female peregrine falcon, at the 2025 Earth Day Expo. (Hailey Smalley/ Daily Inter Lake) A workshop in which participants constructed their own solar-powered toy car was among Saturday's Earth Day Expo event offerings. (Hailey Smalley/Daily Inter Lake)
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
United Community Bank hosts financial literacy workshop in Panama City
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – The month of April is National Financial Literacy Month, and one Bay County bank is hosting a special workshop in honor of the occasion. The workshop will be held at United Community Bank on 23rd St. in Panama City and will focus on identifying common fraud and scams. The workshop will be split into two parts. The first hour is going to be a presentation from bank employees on recognizing fraud and scams, while the second hour is for attendees to ask questions and meet with employees one-on-one. Bank staff say the most common scams they see today are through emails and text messages. Earth Day Expo at E.O. Wilson Center promotes eco-friendly living But there is one surefire way to help prevent yourself from being scammed. 'Verify, verify, make sure that if you are getting an email, you know who it's from,' said United Community Bank Branch Manager Janet Galvao. 'Even if you know who it's from, confirm it in some other way that it's coming from them. If you're receiving a text message from your financial institution, call them and verify the number that you're being asked to call to verify the transactions is indeed the financial institution's phone number.' This financial literacy workshop will be held on Thursday, April 24th, from 5 to 7 p.m. You do not need to be a customer of United Community Bank to take part in this event. It is also free to attend, and no pre-registration is required. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
