15,000 People Attend Earth Day on Promenade

John Quigley and Tess Cacciatore watch as City Council member Michael Feinstein accepts award on behalf of the City of Santa Monica.

   Organizers estimate that 15,000 people attended Earth Day on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica last Saturday.
   “Clean Energy Now” was the theme for the day, which featured 60 environmental exhibits.
   Musicians Jillian Speer, Frankie Hernandez and the Rising Tide, Los Pinguos, Captain Dan, and KidTribe performed during the day on a solar-powered stage.
   Among the items on exhibit were hand held hydrogen fuel cells, Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles, Solar Energy Systems, energy efficient appliances, hemp and organic cotton clothing as well as “Earth Tic-Tac-Toe,” exotic wildlife, and Whole Foods Market’s organically grown products.
   Former Santa Monica Mayor and current Council member Michael Feinstein received the World Trust Foundation’s Third Annual EARTH HERO award on behalf of the City of Santa Monica.
   “If the federal government took the initiative to assist all cities to follow Santa Monica’s lead, America could significantly decrease its dependency on foreign oil,” said John Quigley, Executive Producer of Earth Day Los Angeles.
   Awards were also presented to Quigley, for his 71-day Sojourn in Old Glory oak tree, Mary Edie of the Center for Environmental Education, and Susan Cox of Environmental Education Services for their leadership in education.
   Both national and local environmental organizations were featured at the event, including NRDC, Earth Institute, Sierra Club Los Angeles Chapter, Heal the Bay, TreePeople, Environmental Media Association, Earth Communications Office, Coalition for Clean Air, Santa Monica BayKeeper, Sea Shepherd, Coalition for the Environment & Jewish Life, Star Eco Station, Global Green USA, Surfrider Foundation, and EarthSave.
   The event was sponsored by Whole Foods Markets, NRDC, Sierra Club, Earth Day LA, Metropolitan Water District, The Earth Institute, Earth Tech, LA Weekly, and Santa Monica Mirror, and organized by Earth Day Los Angeles.