Your guide to Earth Day events and volunteer opportunities throughout the month of April.

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Earth Share of Georgia Gets Down to Earth
Friday, April 4th, 8 PM-
Earth Share of Georgia will host our 7th annual Party in the Park and Silent Spring Auction at Magnolia Hall in Piedmont Park, kicking off a month-long list of Earth Day activities. The event will feature music from the Nonessentials, light fare donated by Mick's and Pleasant Peasant, "Treehugger Pilsner and organic wine provided by Dogwood Brewing Company and Whole Foods Market. RSVP at www.earthsharega.org or tickets can be purchased at the door for $25 per person.

Tuesday, April 22-A Day's Pay for Earth Day
Earth Share of Georgia is partnering with businesses to encourage employees to donate their day's pay on Earth Day, April 22nd. Funds will support Earth Share of Georgia's 60 member groups to protect Georgia's environment and our quality of life - locally and globally. Ask your employer about hosting a Day's Pay campaign, then call Earth Share at 404.873.3173.

Saturday, April 26-Green Day
An all-volunteer morning is planned with teams of corporate volunteers to work on park clean-ups, trail maintenance, tree care and other outdoors projects. Participating teams from Worldspan, Turner Broadcasting, Millerzell, BellSouth Long Distance and Starbucks will work with Park Pride and Trees Atlanta throughout the metro area.

April 25-27-Borders Benefit Days
Borders will donate 15% of sales in metro-Atlanta area stores to Earth Share of Georgia, at no cost to the customer. The Borders Benefit Days will feature musical entertainment by recording artists Gerard McHugh and Paul Melancon. Customers must present a voucher for Earth Share to benefit from their purchase. Vouchers are available online at www.earthsharega.org, at Borders stores, in Creative Loafing, by contacting one of the Earth Share member organizations, and at various retail locations throughout Atlanta.

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Earth Day Sponsors See Green Year-round
From recycling to ridesharing, it's the little things that add up. One drop creates a ripple that makes a wave which leads to a sea of change. Such is the case for the Earth Day 2003 sponsors. Each company is creating a workplace environment that also honors our natural environment. Here's a sample of what these companies are doing:

THE COCA-COLA COMPANY in China is planting one million trees on the outskirts of Beijing.

THE HOME DEPOT buys more Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood than any other retailer in the USA and knows the origin of every wood product on their shelves-from broom handles to plywood.

BANK OF AMERICA has 38 Environmental Networks nationwide that volunteered over 53,000 hours on environmental projects in 2002.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET is the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods and contributes at least five percent of total net profits to not-for-profit organizations.

WORLDSPAN has created commuter vanpools by subsidizing the cost for 17 vans. In its first seven months, the program eliminated 7,600 vehicle miles and 176 cars from metro Atlanta's roads.

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Count Your Blessings
There's a tendency on Earth Day to dwell on the doom and gloom of an uncertain future. We at Earth Share think it's more appropriate to count our blessings. Together, the member agencies of Earth Share are working for the day when every child lives within a five minute walk of a park, a day when Georgians can safely swim in our rivers again and a day when all days are smog free. Here are just a few of their most recent successes that will eventually lead us to that day.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign secured bike racks on all MARTA buses and all buses in Cobb, Clayton and Gwinnett Counties.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center,Callaway Gardens, Reynolds Nature Preserve and Elachee Nature Science Center combined had more than 100,000 school aged children participate in their environmental programs last year.

Since 1960, The Nature Conservancy has helped to safeguard more than 220,000 acres of ecologically significant land in Georgia.

Since October 2002, Trees Atlanta volunteers have planted 1,460 shade trees and 1,500 hardwood seedlings.

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy successfully educated and advocated for passage of a state leaw allowing households and businesses to feeed solar energy and other clean energy supplies on the electricity grid.

In Georgia, there are 365 miles of rail-trails already existing or in-progress, made possible by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

The Georgia Conservancy has led the way to form the Georgia Water Coalition, which is fighting to keep water as a public resource in Georgia.

The list goes on and their efforts in education and advocacy will continue until the day when they are no longer needed.

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April 5-Cohutta Wilderness Trail Clean Up
Join The Georgia Conservancy and help restore Jacks River Falls, one of North Georgia`s most heavily visited and degraded areas. Volunteers will be bagging trash and dismantling illegal campsites along the Beech Bottom Trail and Jacks River Falls. Contact Matt Roberson for more info and directions, 404.876.2900 x 20 or mroberson@gaconservancy.org.

Throughout April-Sierra Club is mobilizing volunteers and activists who want "CLEAN AIR NOW!" To find out how you can get involved with this community outreach program contact Colleen Kiernan at 404.607.1262 x229 or colleenkiernan@mindspring.com.

April 18-Earth Day Volunteers Needed for Projects at Medlock Bridge Elementary School
Opportunities for Volunteers to help with environmental science & discovery stations, art projects and a walking field trip to the South Peachtree Creek Nature Preserve. Starts at 8:30 a.m. Contact Julie Seckman at 404/982-9492

April 19-Earth Day Privet Pull
Celebrate Earth Day by helping Elachee Nature Science Center preserve the beautiful Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve. Join us from 10 am to 3 pm to remove privet, non-native, and invasive species from the Preserve. BYO gloves and sack lunch, we'll provide training, tools, and refreshments. Call to pre-register, 770/535-1976.

April 19-Piedmont Park Clean-up
From 9am-noon volunteers will help mulch around the trees, pick up litter and work in the community garden. Other projects may become available as it gets closer to the date of the event. Contact Carla Phillips,404-876-4024 or
cphillips@piedmontpark.org

April 19-Jones Bridge Clean-up
From 9am to 1pm help National Parks Service clean up the environmental education facility. Pick up trash through the unit along the river and trails. Up to 30 volunteers can make this a beautiful site. Contact Susan Joffre,770-399-8074 x233 or susan_joffre@nps.gov

April 26-Earth Day Spring Wildflower Hikes and Work Day
Join Georgia State Parks for a full day of Spring activities starting at 8 am. Volunteers will be enhancing the entrance to the JHY Interpretive Center at Tallulah Gorge State Park by replanting several flower beds and constructing one new bed at a highly visible entrance kiosk. Throughout the day, Interpretive Rangers and local experts will lead two wildflower hikes and conduct one slide show on North Georgia wildflowers. Bring good walking shoes, work gloves, water, etc. Contact Beryl Welsch, 706-754 7970 or tallulah2@alltel.net

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Earth Saving Tips from Kinko's
An official sponsor of Earth Day 2003

MAKE DOUBLE-SIDED COPIES It uses less paper, saving valuable natural resources, and costs less overall than single-sided copies

USE KINKO'S DOCUMENT SCANNING, ARCHIVING AND CD BURNING SERVICES to use less paper and eliminate file cabinets full of outdated documents.

CONSERVE ENERGY BY TURNING OFF LIGHTS, HOME APPLIANCES AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT and by activating the sleep modes on your copiers, monitors and computers.

IN RECOGNITION OF EARTH DAY Kinko's is partnering with The National Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees in national forests devastated by wildfire. They'll plant a tree on your behalf when you buy any of these prooducts and services:

*2 reams of 30% post-consumer recycled paper
*2 reams of 100% post-consumer recycled paper
*Any sign or banner
*Any 3 recycled paper greeting cards
*Add binding to any document



ATTENTION GEORGIA CYCLISTS!
Support Georgia's "Share the Road" License Plate Initiative

Please contact your State Senator TODAY and urge them to support the passage of Senate Bill 283 - "License plates; special; "Share the Road" message" during this legislative session. If passed, SB283 would authorize the State of Georgia to issue a "Share The Road" (STR) motor vehicle license plate AND set aside proceeds from the sale of the STR license plates for a state-wide bicycle education and awareness program. For more information visit http://home.att.net/~thetandemlink/GATagInfo.html

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The Atlanta Natural Pages are coming soon! Free to consumers, this directory will provide a comprehensive list of health-wise and eco-friendly businesses and non-profits in the metro area. For advertising information contact Bernadette Peters at 404-371-5052 or visit their website at www.atlantanaturalpages.com.



Earth Day and Beyond! Keep reading Green at Work Online for upcoming news, events and volunteer opportunities in Georgia's environmental community.

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