Hayward’s “green” season: Contests, clean-up and community fair
The City of Hayward is holding contests and events to celebrate Earth Day, and to educate and inspire action—including a poster and writing contest for students and an annual citywide clean-up and community fair on Saturday, April 27, at Weekes Park.
The Poster & Writing Contest invites K-12 Hayward students to create a poster or write a poem or an essay about Earth Day and its environmental principles. The contest gives students an opportunity to express thoughts, ideas and feelings on topics such as water and energy conservation, sustainable energy, transportation and food production, recycling and composting, and general environmental protection and stewardship. Entries are due March 15. Contest rules and a list of what students and teachers can win can be found here.
Hayward students who document themselves picking up littler also can win cash prizes. Participants must download the Litterati app, use it to take pictures of litter around the city, post the pictures within the Litterati app, using the hashtags “#HaywardShines” and “#(insert your school name),” and then throw the waste away in the appropriate bin. Students who photograph and throw away the most waste can win cash prizes. The contest runs April 1-30.
Lastly, the Annual Citywide Clean-Up & Community Fair is a family-friendly litter pick-up event taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Weekes Park. Volunteers are deployed to collect litter in neighborhoods throughout the City. The litter-collection is followed by a free lunch and an Earth Day-themed community fair, featuring music, eco-giveaways and environmentally-focused displays, including the Hayward Library Services Department showcasing its seed library; the StopWaste county solid-waste authority, providing composting resources; East Bay Community Energy, offering clean energy question and answer opportunities; Waste Management, distributing resources on best recycling practices; Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, offering free energy saving resources. Register for the Clean-up & Community Fair here. Registration is required in order to receive a free lunch.
Additional information about these activities and other ways the City of Hayward is celebrating Earth Day can be found at www.hayward-ca.gov/earth-day. All questions regarding these events can be addressed to Hayward Sustainability Specialist Nicole Grucky at Nicole.grucky@hayward-ca.gov.
