Residents can get ideas on how to protect the environment without leaving town at the fourth annual Ramona Earth Day Festival.
The local version of the international Earth Day celebrations will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at Begent Ranch, 18528 Highland Valley Road.
The theme of this year’s Earth Day, celebrated globally on April 22, is “Our Power, Our Planet.”
Ramona’s event is being hosted by Sustainable Ramona, a nonprofit that works to foster sustainability in town.
Sustainable Ramona President Joyce Strand said the festival is a great place to learn about sustainable practices and to meet people who can help others reduce waste, save water and preserve the countryside. Strand said she plans to attend this year’s event to enable others to share and learn about sustainability.
Now in its fourth year, Strand said the festival continues to grow and attract people who are interested in sustainability.
“We were pleased with the increased number of participants and visitors when we moved the Earth Day Festival to Begent Ranch last year,” Strand said. “It’s a perfect setting to reflect on Ramona’s countryside, and we appreciate the generosity of the Begent family.”
The festival will feature a variety of vendors, nonprofits and speakers who will offer information and products related to manageable, affordable sustainable practices. The family-friendly event will include live music performances throughout the day, and the return of the popular Ramona del Sol Folklorico Dancers.
Children can learn about environmentally-friendly practices by participating in a Sustainable Treasure Hunt.
FallbrkEats and Chica’s Funnel Cakes are two of the food trucks lined up to sell food at the event.
The Ramona Municipal Water District will be participating in the Earth Day event by distributing information on water conservation and handing out free items such as garden bags, said the district’s General Manager Erica Wolski.
An additional booth will be staffed by representatives of the Ramona-Barona Climate Adaptation Plan, which will be asking survey questions on community priorities related to wildfires, heat, drought and flooding.
“We should also have a virtual reality video available for people to view, which was filmed at both Guy B. Woodward Museum and the Barona Cultural Center and Museum,” Wolski said. “The video shows the impacts of heat, flooding and fire on our community.”
Anyone who is interested in participating as a vendor or nonprofit at the festival can apply at SustainableRamona.com. Nonprofit organizations can exhibit for no fee; vendors selling products pay a $50 fee.
Sustainable Ramona will promote sponsor, vendor and nonprofit organizations’ names, and logos will be featured in press releases, on a website and via social media. During the festival, a variety of displays will promote participants and sponsors.
Sustainable Ramona’s mission is to lead the transition to a sustainable climate in Ramona with a healthy economy through education, partners, projects, promotions, and ultimately a profitable, independent electricity-producing area, known as a microgrid, organizers said.
To date, the group has sponsored educational forums on the San Diego County climate action plan, water conservation, waste management, worm farming, composting, electrification of houses and renewable energy.
Additionally, have organized three Earth Day Festivals, a Harvest Festival, a community forum introducing the concept of an independent public utility using microgrid technology and renewable energy, and have hosted a symposium led by an existing community microgrid CEO as an example for Ramona to consider.
For more information, visit the SustainableRamona.com website or the @Sustainable Ramona sites on Instagram and Facebook.
