Haines’ Earth Day Celebration to focus on reducing waste in the Chilkat Valley

Haines Earth Day celebration aims to bring residents, community organizations, and local businesses together this weekend. The theme is reducing waste in the Chilkat Valley. Here’s a rundown of events starting at 8 a.m. Saturday April 23. See more details here.

This year’s Earth Day Celebration will start bright and early on Saturday April 23, with the American Bald Eagle Foundation leading a bird walk at the fairgrounds starting at 8 a.m. 

The school doors will open at 9 a.m. for the farmer’s market style resource fair, food, shopping, and games in the school cafeteria. Masks are recommended, but not required.

Melissa Aronson is the Chair of Haines Friend’s of Recycling and the Haines Solid Waste Working Group, and one of the organizers.

 “So, with Earth Day, we’re going to be focusing on lots of different ways people can reduce their waste, she said. “We’ll have about 20 tables, different organizations and groups that we’ll be showing how to repurpose, and reuse and recycle.”

There will be a composting demonstration, a seed and gardening tool exchange, and workers with Community Waste Solutions will share updates on Haines’ privately-owned landfill.  

“La Loft is going to have clothing for sale because clothing it turns out is one of the huge things, (is) huge volumes that goes into landfills,” she said.

Hospice of Haines will have information about rummage sales this month where clothing and household items can be resold. Lynn Canal Conservation will have a presentation on microplastics and fast fashion. 

“Takshanuk Watershed Council will have a place where people can make grocery bags out of T-shirts, they’re going to have microgreens for sale, they’re going to have a whole thing on how to reduce plastic waste in your homes,” Aronson said.

Fifth and sixth graders will showcase a renewable energy project. Art students with Haines art teacher Giselle Miller will have a display of pieces made from recyclable materials. 

“The kids had been working on all kinds of artistic things there,” she said.

Haines Animal Rescue Kennel will be collecting pet supplies that can be reused, like dog bowls and leashes.

Haines Friend’s of Recycling have a new resource guide ‘Reducing Our Waste Together,’ that includes what materials can be recycled and where in Haines. From large items like old tires and appliances, to fishing nets and household recyclables.  They’ll also have an activity for figuring out the numbers on plastics:

“We’re going to have a game set up where people can learn how to sort things if they’re not sure. And then everybody participates in that we’ll get a little certificate for scrap box bucks, so they can come to our scrap box and get things,” Aronson said.

The scrap box is a collection of items donated or salvaged by Haines recycling center that can be reused – like tools, eye glasses, and all kinds of household items. 

Aronson says the goal is to share information and inspire ideas for reducing waste wherever possible. Each person can play a small, but worthwhile part. And that can be both practical and for moral reasons. 

“People do lots of things that are that help the environment, whether it’s energy conservation, or recycling, for basically two different reasons. One, it helps the pocketbook. And two, it helps the heart,” she said. “Motivation can be intrinsic, I want to do this, because I think it’s the responsible and right thing to do. Or, I do this because it saves me money. And they’re both valid motivations, and we probably all have a mix of both.”

The efforts don’t start or end on Earth Day. Aronson says there’s an ongoing Community Cleanup led by the Women’s Club, formerly by the Haines Chamber of Commerce. Yellow bags are available at locations around town – at the Haines borough office, Takshanuk Watershed Council, and Haines recycling center – and full bags can be dropped off at the landfill. There are also marine debris cleanup events scheduled for May, and an electronics recycling drive coming up in June.

Skagway’s annual Clean Sweep has been canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak, and the Public Works Department being short-staffed. As of Thursday afternoon, Skagway is reporting 15 new COVID cases in the last week, according to the municipal website. The state is reporting 6 new cases in Haines over the last week.