April 6, 2006 - Celebrate Earth Day with the Oxbow Eco-Center

Celebrate Earth Day with the Oxbow Eco-Center -- What's Your Ecological Footprint? -- Saturday, April 22nd from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

It doesn't matter if your shoe size is a child's 2 or a basketball player's 15! You are leaving your "footprint" on the landscape. If you want to learn ways you can live more simply and reduce your impact on the environment, join the Oxbow's 6th annual Earth Day Celebration on April 22nd from 10 am to 3 pm.

Those attending this year's celebration are encouraged to come with a love for nature, a thirst for learning and their dancing shoes. This daylong celebration of the environment will feature a sustainability village, a 'Salute to Wildlife' parade, live animals, guided hikes, and the sweet sounds of reggae group Injoy.

Visitors can wander through our Sustainability Village and meet a guy who doesn't sweat it during hurricanes. He's the only one in his neighborhood whose electricity doesn't go out, because his house is run on solar power. And he can always tune into his television just by jumping on his stationary bike and peddling.

The Eco-Village shows how 'sustainability' and conserving natural resources can only be achieved by working at every level from governmental planning, neighborhood design, green building construction, to our individual choices and actions. You’ll learn tips about building or retrofitting your home for energy efficiency, creating clean indoor air and a toxic free environment, and reducing yard work while attracting wildlife by going native in your landscape. This year's celebration is sure to delight kids of all ages! Get ready to sing like a bird, swim like a fish or hop like a frog by joining our "Salute to Wildlife" Nature Parade. You may bring a costume and musical instrument from home or make one out on the back deck at Crafty Corners! The first parade begins at 11:30!

Visitors should stop by the Oxbow Welcome Booth and take the Eco-Challenge. In addition, the whole family will enjoy getting a closer look at Florida's birds of prey and some of your reptile and amphibian neighbors. You can take guided hikes through the Oxbow forest to learn about birds, gopher tortoises and habitats. The event is free and visitors will receive 10% off in the Oxbow's one-of-a-kind gift store.

For more information about the Oxbow Eco-Center's Earth Day Celebration, please call (772) 785-5833 or visit www.stlucieco.gov/erd/oxbow. The Oxbow Eco-Center is a St. Lucie County Environmental Learning Center situated on 225-acres of land on the St. Lucie River. The Oxbow Eco-Center is located at 5400 N.E. St. James Drive, 1-1/2 miles south of Midway Road in Port St. Lucie – across from the new Publix Shopping Center.