Third-Annual Earth Day Celebration Triples in Size

Our work at Sustainable PR requires lots of writing and media engagement. Telling the stories of companies shaping the green economy means writing persuasively about the “green” attributes of our client’s products and services.  As a specialized PR agency focused exclusively on the sustainability market, we also know it’s more than just wording that matters.  Deeds make the difference.  That is why each year we host a city-wide Earth Day Celebration in Glens Falls that brings our community together to discuss issues and make time to have an impact in our community.

Sustainable PR hosted its third-annual Earth Day Celebration this past month, and with the help of this year’s partner organizers, the City of Glens Falls and the Crandall Public Library, tripled the number of exhibitors from prior years, drawing in a crowd one hundred strong.

The expanded lineup included exhibits from the region’s predominant environmental advocacy groups and organizations–Adirondack Council, Adirondack Mountain Club, Zero Waste of Warren County, Adirondack Watershed Institute, Warren County’s Soil and Water Conservation District, and Cornell Cooperative Extension, as well as climate action committees from the town of Queensbury and the City of Glens Falls, to name a few–all showcasing their ongoing efforts to make our communities more sustainable and educate our neighbors on how to lead environmentally-conscious lives.

Local youth groups shared their sustainability efforts at the event as well. Students from SAEC BOCES conservation class organized a table with kid-friendly games and coloring activities and brought in rabbits and a hedgehog to educate families on exotic pets and their habitats.

Local representatives and community leaders reiterated the importance of the advocacy groups in attendance. Newly elected deputy director of Protect the Adirondacks, Claudia Braymer, urged the public to continue to push government efforts to combat climate change to emphasizing the need for our city to take actions now to protect our home for future generations.

President of Warren County EDC, Jim Siplon, built on Braymer’s comments, declaring that creating sustainable communities does not exist outside of economic growth, and that “environmental conservation and protection efforts are not at odds with economic development, but aligned with it.”

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner took the discussion a step further, relaying her efforts at the state-wide level, to solve complex problems in holistic ways that take advantage of the resources we have while respecting the planet. “It’s so important that we build an economy that supports our planet because our planet supports us,” Woerner said. She specifically called on New York State’s history within the textile industry, arguing that rebuilding the textile industry, an industry that is rooted in sustainability, would naturally lead to a more environmentally conservative economy.

And to showcase that our community does in fact practice what we preach, attendees had the opportunity to see one of the City of Glens Falls’ sustainability initiatives in action. The city’s Urban Agricultural Pilot–an indoor vertical farm– celebrated its grand opening as part of the event. In honor of the occasion, the city’s economic development director, Dr. Jeff Flagg, and the farm’s master grower, Josh Fabian, offered tours of the facility. Community members saw first-hand the creativity and innovation that is being employed by our local officials to create a sustainable future for our hometown.