ROANOKE, Va. – From live music to local vendors, Grandin Village was full of energy over the weekend.
Roanoke’s Earth Day celebration, organized by the Clean Valley Council, brought people out for a day of food, shopping and hands-on activities, all centered around living a little greener.
This year’s theme, “Choose the Planet Over Plastic,” encouraged people to cut back on single-use plastic and think about everyday habits.
Courtney Plaster, executive director of the Clean Valley Council, said even small changes can make a difference.
“Even the smallest new item that you take in and decide to apply to your daily life is a positive, and so we want to give people an opportunity to interact with positive practices, hear really great music, or interact with different vendors,” Plaster said.
Organizers set up interactive stations, including music and dancing, craft tables for kids and a hands-on nature table where visitors could meet live bugs.
Hannah Swarm, a Virginia Tech Ph.D. student in entomology, said the experience can spark curiosity in children.
“It’s really exciting when a kid gets to handle something like this, whether they’ve been outside a lot with insects or not at all, because it makes this new excitement about insects that they didn’t have before,” Swarm said.
Organizers said events like this make sustainability feel simple and something anyone can be a part of.