The Signal

Celebrate Beauty of Santa Clarita at Earth Arbor Day Festival

- By Councilmem­ber Bill Miranda

We are fortunate to call Santa Clarita home. Our neighborho­ods are dotted with majestic oak trees, blooming flowers and lush landscapin­g. Look further out and you can admire the thousands of acres of preserved open space, which will be enjoyed by generation­s to come. From the miles of trails to the wonderfull­y maintained parks in our City, our residents enjoy hiking, biking and afternoons spent sitting and playing in the shade with their families. Living in Santa Clarita truly is a breath of fresh air!

I am proud of the commitment we’ve all made to preserve the natural beauty of Santa Clarita, which is why my fellow Councilmem­bers and I want to invite you to take part in the Earth Arbor Day

Festival at Central Park. This year’s festivitie­s take place on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Not only is this event an opportunit­y to learn more about your role in helping care for our environmen­t, it is also a great way to teach your children new skills when it comes to recycling, composting, water conservati­on and much more. One of the things that I am excited for this year at the Earth Arbor Day Festival, presented by SCV Water, is that the entire festival will be a “zero-waste zone.” This means that you will only find recycling and compost bins instead of trash cans, and volunteers will be on site to help guide you as to which items are compostabl­e and which can be recycled, leading to an event that does not generate any trash or waste!

In addition, I invite you to join us in celebratin­g the City’s 28th consecutiv­e “Tree City USA” award from the National Arbor Day Foundation and the National Associatio­n of State Foresters. This award recognizes the steps the City and its residents take to effectivel­y manage public tree resources and implement a program that protects trees in our community. To celebrate, the festival is offering 1,000 free trees to the public and free bags of mulch so that you can help us plant new trees in Santa Clarita!

Don’t miss the festival favorite – the cArt aRt contest! See ordinary trash carts that have been transforme­d into works of art using creativity, paint, art supplies and recycled items, and vote for your favorite entry!

Throughout the weekend you can also attend the KHTS Santa Clarita Home and Garden Show, as well as the Emergency Expo and KHTS Arts and Crafts Fair, on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All events are free and you will be able to visit with more than 400 vendors, most of whom are local, to learn more about solar energy, home improvemen­t projects, gardening and much more.

If you’re like me, you’ll want to make it a point to visit the Emergency Expo on Saturday to talk to emergency responders and get more informatio­n on how to prepare yourself and your family should a natural disaster strike our City. If the recent earthquake­s, fires and mudslides have taught us anything, it is always be prepared for the unexpected.

All in all, these events this weekend give us an opportunit­y to come together with our neighbors and not only contribute to the beauty of Santa Clarita, but also enjoy everything that living here has to offer. You can find more informatio­n online at GreenSanta­Clarita.com. I hope to see you there!

Bill Miranda is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at bmiranda@santa-clarita.com.

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Bill Miranda
Councilmem­ber Bill Miranda

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