Cleveland State Community College will be hosting the 5th annual environmental awareness celebration on Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. called "It's All About the Green!" This celebration will be held at the courtyard between the Administration Building and the L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with parking available below the gym. There will be food, presentations, entertainment, and various vendors from the Cleveland community discussing the importance and benefits of "going green."
Exhibitors this year include Energy Wright Homes who will be discussing energy efficient home design; City of Cleveland Shade Tree Board will be providing tree care information and giving away tree seedlings; Cleveland Utilities will be providing information on water and electricity conservation; USDA Forest Service will be discussing how to go about touring national forests; ABC Tree Service will discuss the importance of tree care; SerendipityCB will discuss all natural body care products and the benefits of massage therapy; Tennessee Renewable Energy will be discussing TVA green power; Land Trust for Tennessee will provide information on land conservation, and Tennessee Wild will provide information on wilderness advocacy, and many other businesses and organizations will be present, as well.
"The Planning Committee has been working hard to finalize plans for this year's event," stated Tracey Wright, Director of Special Events and Community Relations. "We have a great lineup of businesses and community agencies who have registered to participate in the event, and our food services will be on hand with delicious food for purchase. This is definitely the place to be if you want to pick up information, plants, and materials that will allow you to live a life that aids the earth in extending its life."
In addition to the many exhibitors, the Southeast Tennessee Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) will be conducting rain barrel workshops at 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. The workshops will show homeowners how rain barrels can catch water from gutters and provide them with an alternative water supply for gardening or landscaping, while helping solve storm-water issues in the area. This community outreach program is free to participants; however, there are a limited number of barrels. Participants will need to be prepared to take the barrels home with them on the day of the workshop.
"The college is very proud of the fact that we support such a day as the Green Day and this is our fifth year," stated Dr. Carl Hite, CSCC President. "Each year, it has gotten larger and larger. What we are learning is that the community is starting to embrace the ideas that are brought forward in our Green Day initiatives that we have on campus, and we hope that our students as they graduate will engage in more green initiatives in this community because this is the only planet that we have."
Children's entertainment during the event will include face painting, playing games made from recycled materials, making jewelry and hair clips from recycled materials, and planting seeds in containers made from phone book pages. It's All About the Green is open to the community, and admission to the event is free. There will be giveaways, door prizes, and free tree seedlings.
For more information on the Green Day or to participate in a rain barrel workshop, contact Tracey Wright at (423) 473-2341 or email events@clevelandstatecc.edu. 
