Las Vegas’ Second annual GREENFest to be bundles of fun

Attendees can learn about recycling, composting and energy and water conservation and enjoy live music, green vendors, food samplings and a farmers market .

The free event is organized by the Green Alliance, Republic Services and Evergreen Recycling, which have joined forces to inspire environmentalism and good stewardship in honor of Earth Day.

April 22 is international Earth Day, which has been celebrated since 1970.

GREENFest is an interactive event, organizers said.

Guests can bring their recyclable items from their home or office for responsible disposal. Acceptable recyclables include paper, cardboard, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, newspapers, plastics, aluminum and steel cans and glass. 

Shred-It Las Vegas will provide free document shredding on site. The remaining material will then be recycled.

Children are welcome to explore recycling trucks and meet a recycling robot.

About 50 vendors will exhibit, and each is required to offer an activity and a giveaway for guests.

Visitors can learn more about different energy-efficiency programs for solar, hydro and wind power at NV Energy’s Renewable Generations trailer.

Large baled recyclables from Republic Services and Evergreen Recycling will be on hand , too, said Tracy Skenandore, area director of marketing for Evergreen Recycling and Republic Services.

"It really does look like art," she said. "It’s crushed cans, but it’s really quite pretty."

The event’s organizers teamed up to make more of an impact, Skenandore said.

"We wanted one large event to be a means to be more responsible," she said. "This public celebration is a means to educate the community, the residents and the businesses on everything and anything they can do to be green, environmentally responsible and sustainable."

Clark County School District kids will have a hand in the event , too.

Keep Las Vegas Beautiful, in partnership with the Clark County School District School-Community Partnership Program, recently hosted its first Earth Day Everyday art contest for fourth- and fifth-grade students.

The students were to convey celebrating the Earth while depicting their ideas about how they can protect and preserve the planet.

The top three winners’ art and the 15 runners-up will be displayed at GREENfest.

"It’s just to get kids to be thinking about the environment and that they’re a part of the Earth and what they do has an impact," said Lisa Campbell, senior neighborhood planner for the city of Las Vegas.

The city oversees the Keep Las Vegas Beautiful initiative, which is affiliated with the national Keep America Beautiful brand.

The kids’ art will be on display from April 17-23 at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. For more information about GREENfest, visit thinkenergystar.com or republicservicesvegas.com.

Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.