Muncie’s Living Lightly Fair to include Anderson Participants

Susan Eichhorn, Education Coordinator for the East Central Indiana Solid Waste District, and Holly Chaille, watershed coordinator for Delaware County, will be among the speakers offering workshops at the fair. In addition, Katherine Goar, director of Community Development Long Range Planning and Chad Pigg, stormwater engineer, will represent Anderson at a round table discussion of government leaders from East Central Indiana. The purpose of the discussion, and of the entire festival, is to share the vision and accomplishments of different communities in meeting human needs while protecting the natural environment.

Holly Chaille’s workshop, entitled Rain Gardening, begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 2. “Rain gardens are an effective strategy aimed at reducing the standing water some people have in their yards. The idea is to use plants that can stand having ‘wet feet’ for several hours while the rainwater soaks into the ground,” says Chaille. She added, “Rain gardens can also help to filter pollutants out of storm water runoff.” LeAnn Brogdon, a Master Gardener from Anderson, has selected the plants and designed a model Rain Garden for the presentation.

Also at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, Susan Eichhorn will give a presentation entitled Green Cleaning: How to Clean without Toxic Chemicals. On Sunday, June 3 at 11:45 a.m., Eichhorn will offer a different workshop entitled, Recycling and Disposing of Hazardous Waste. “People can come to this workshop to learn why paint and some household chemicals are hazardous and how they can be disposed of properly,” she said.

Anderson has been a leader in Brownfield clean up and redevelopment, as well as committing to the expansion of its recreational trail system and river bank stabilization. City Planner Jim Haberek will discuss “green” developments in Anderson at an intergovernmental round table discussion, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2.

The Living Lightly Fair has been in the planning stage for over a year. Non-stop activities are planned for children, including computer-simulated nature programs, age appropriate musical entertainment, and games. Adults will find a variety of nationally known presenters giving workshops on everything from organic gardening to energy efficient buildings. For more information, visit www.livinglightlyfair.org. Barb Stedman, event organizer, says “We have planned something for everyone, so come on over. The entire event can be moved indoors if it’s raining.”