- April 24, 2024
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Sunday morning brought in a variety of people to Riverwalk Park. Some of those people were enjoying an early yoga session, others were walking along the shoreline, while a number of children enjoyed the play area.
These were only a handful of activities happening during the Port Orange Earth Day event on Sunday, April 22. And while the day was filled with different ways for attendees to have fun, the reason behind the worldwide event had serious meaning.
According to a report from SaveOnEnergy, the average American disposes of 4.4 pounds of trash every day, which is roughly 728,000 tons of garbage each day.
Findings from the report also show that half of the 254 million tons of yearly waste will end up in one of the more than 2,000 active landfills across the country. In Volusia County, the Tomoka Farms Road landfill, set to close in 2021, has been filled with a reported 7,569,140 tons of waste, according to SaveOnEnergy.
"We need to take care of the earth, because if we don't, who else will?" Kate Holness said. "God gave it to us to live and it's our role to take care of it. I love the beach and there's nothing worse than trash coming up on the shore. It makes me sad."
Holness was at the event with her daughter who she said has been an encouragement to her when it comes to picking up trash and recycling. Joanne Manley was also there with her two boys and had spent part of the morning participating in a walk to clean up trash along the Riverwalk area.
"We try to do that on a regular basis anyway so both the boys are kind of used to [knowing] if they see trash to pick it up," Manley said. "It instills the values of not to littler and help keep the Earth clean."
According to Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Shannon Bungart, who headed up the walk, participants found plastic chairs, plastic bottles and a large number of plastic bags. Bungart said they found more trash than she had expected.
But the day wasn't only about raising awareness in Port Orange, it was also a way to educate about what is happening in other areas of Florida and the world. There were also people attending who were there to show what is being done to help the environment. This included information on artificial reefs and giving away trees to be planted.
"We certainly don't want something like that to happen where we have manufactured plastic bottles and things like that causing problems for the natural life," Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Chairman Peter Kouracos said. "It throws us out of balance when these things happen."
At the end of the day, when Earth Day was over, the question that remains was, what happens next? In Port Orange, a new hashtag has emerged: #KeepOurCityPretty.
The initiative was formed as a way to make people aware of where their trash is going and how they themselves can keep the city they live in clean.
"Earth Day is just a really great opportunity to get people thinking about the planet and what they can do to become a steward for the rest of the year," Katie Tripp, Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, said. "Everybody deserves a day, the Earth deserves a day too."
