Green Mountain Energy Earth Day at Discovery Green returns to one of Houston’s most sustainable parks on Saturday, April 20 from 12-5 p.m. Held in partnership with Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, Green Mountain Energy Earth Day celebrates environmental stewardship and sustainability through an afternoon of family-friendly, arts-centric programming.
Attendees will enjoy an array of activities – from Scrapdaddy Circus, a showcase of Mark “Scrapdaddy” Bradford’s themed Art Cars and interactive solar and wind power sculptures, to documentary screenings and an electric car petting zoo. Houston artists Donkeeboy and Donkeemom will perform a “paint off, simultaneously creating works live in front of an audience. The audience will vote for their favorite. Chalk artists will work on masterpieces throughout the day. Houston Public Works’ popular Water Works Festival will be at the event with fun opportunities for visitors to learn about the care and management of Houston’s water resources.
Additionally, over 60 exhibitors, including Green Mountain Energy, the Bayou Preservation Association, Houston Humane Society Wildlife Center and Wildlife Habitat Federation, will have interactive and educational activities for guests. University of Houston-Downtown students will display their art and graphic design to tell the story of Houston’s bayous and the poetry of water.
Green Mountain Energy is a longtime supporter and the official energy provider of Discovery Green, providing the park with 100 percent clean, renewable energy. Since 1997, Green Mountain Energy customers have avoided 100 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent of planting more than 12 million new trees.
“As the leading renewable energy provider in Texas, we are proud to partner with Discovery Green Conservancy for this year’s Earth Day celebration,” said Mark Parsons, vice president, Green Mountain Energy. “Our top priority is taking care of the environment, so Green Mountain Energy Earth Day is an opportunity to educate Houstonians that even the smallest changes can have a positive, lasting impact on our planet.”
Green Mountain Energy Earth Day aims to be a zero-waste event. Guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles. Attendees can visit one of five kiosks throughout the park, where University of Houston-Downtown volunteers will sort through recyclable and compostable items.
For more information on Green Mountain Energy Earth Day at Discovery Green and to learn more about exhibitor opportunities, please visit discoverygreen.com/earthday.
ACTIVITIES
Houston Electric Vehicle Association’s Electric Car Petting Zoo
From Tesla Cybertrucks to Rivian adventure vehicles, look under the hood and rub your hands over the steering wheel of Houston’s coolest electric vehicles.
Recycled Music
Houston band Jukebox Trainwreck takes crowd requests to turn familiar and beloved tunes into their own creations with chaotic, amusing and awe-inspiring speed.
PERFORMANCES
Calmecac Indigenous Arts Dancers will perform an opening ceremony for the Earth Day celebrations. Indigenous peoples comprise less than 5 percent of the world population but protect 80 percent of the Earth’s biodiversity. This performance is a call to protect the environment and bring awareness to the good stewardship of a sustainable planet.
Lee’s Golden Dragons will perform a traditional Chinese “dragon dance.” While often associated with Lunar New Year, dragon dances are used to bless ceremonies. In Chinese folk, Buddhist and Taoist beliefs, dragons were celebrated as rain gods and beseeched to bring rain.
Donkeeboy and Donkeemom will perform a live “paint off.” The Houston artists will create their masterpieces in front of a live audience on the Anheuser-Busch stage. Visitors will then vote for their favorite work of art.
ART
Scrapdaddy Circus presented in partnership with Houston First
Houston-based artist Mark “Scrapdaddy” Bradford will display six of his one-of-a-kind art cars and 25 interactive solar and wind power sculptures. Also on display will be two pieces from Comedy Central’s Battle Bots. Bradford’s work is a testament to the power of creativity to reform discarded items into works of art. An artist Q&A is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the main stage.
Bayou at y.our doorstep
Under the guidance of Professor Natacha Poggio, MFA, University of Houston-Downtown graphic design students visualize the significant environmental, emotional, and developmental roles played by Houston’s bayous in fostering community well-being.
Envisioning Water
University of Houston-Downtown students led by professors Natacha Poggio, MFA (graphic design) and Laura Cesarco Eglin, MFA, Ph.D. (creative writing), collaborate to emphasize a profound dialog between poetry and illustration. The graphic design students bring to life poems penned by creative writing students centered on the themes of water and environmental concerns.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
The Place Man (2024, 19 minutes)
Meet the man whose efforts helped launch not only the first Earth Day – but whose ideas also formed the founding principles for Discovery Green’s creation. Fred Kent devoted his life to creating public spaces for people to enjoy. Kent’s passion for public spaces that foster social connection will inspire you to create solutions for the challenges of today.
There’s Something in the Water (2020, 8 minutes)
Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texas, but its delicate ecosystem is threatened by a seemingly unstoppable invasive species of floating fern: Giant Salvinia. There’s Something in the Water features interviews with people who live and work on the lake, demonstrating the damage that has been caused, and how everyone can work together to try and fix it.
Interruption: The Magpies and Peacocks Story (2022, 11 minutes)
Magpies and Peacocks is the nation’s only nonprofit design house dedicated to the collection and sustainable reuse of post-consumer clothing, scrap textiles and accessories diverted from landfill. Its mission is to disrupt the cycle of waste in the fashion industry and mitigate its enormous environmental and social impact.
EXHIBITORS
Bayou Preservation Association
Informing the public about water quality, watershed health and the importance of removing non-recyclable materials from the waste stream.
Electrochemical Safety Research Institute
Educating the community on how to safely dispose of and recycle lithium-ion batteries.
Green Education Foundation
Teaching the community about recycling and repurposing items to keep things from the landfill.
Green Mountain Energy
Showing home and business owners how renewable energy can help offset carbon emissions.
Houston Humane Society Wildlife Center
Using cultural trinkets, wet specimens, taxidermic bats, informational handouts and more to teach individuals about bats found in and around Houston.
Leadership Houston Inc
Promoting the use of reusable water bottles in an effort to limit the use of plastic water bottles that add to pollution and waste.
Whole Earth Offsets
Informing the community about carbon offsets during a fireside chat and through an interactive puzzle for kids.
Wildlife Habitat Federation
A rainfall simulator will demonstrate how different surfaces affect the absorption of rainfall, showing the importance of grassland habitat.
Discovery Green is located at 1500 McKinney St. (Houston, TX 77010). Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. All events are subject to change. Please refer to discoverygreen.com for updates.
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ABOUT DISCOVERY GREEN®
Discovery Green® is a highly acclaimed 12-acre park created by a public-private partnership between the City of Houston and the nonprofit Discovery Green Conservancy in downtown Houston, Texas. Since opening in April 2008, the park has welcomed more than 20 million visitors. Discovery Green® features sprawling lawns, a one-acre lake, an interactive fountain, a playground, public art installations, gardens and an allée of century-old live oaks. The Discovery Green Conservancy works with hundreds of programming partners to present artistic, musical, educational, family-friendly and health-focused events each year, most of which are presented free to the public. The park also features two on-site restaurants, the award-winning destination restaurant The Grove and the fast-casual The Lake House, providing visitors with an array of dining options. As a nonprofit organization, the Conservancy raises all the funds needed for the programming that Houstonians enjoy. For more information, please visit https://www.discoverygreen.com. Arts programming is made possible in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.
ABOUT GREEN MOUNTAIN ENERGY COMPANY
Green Mountain Energy is the nation’s longest serving renewable energy retailer, on a mission to inspire hope and motivate action through the use of clean energy. Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity plans from renewable sources, as well as a variety of carbon offset products and sustainable solutions for businesses. Collectively, Green Mountain Energy customers have helped avoid more than 107 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions to date. Green Mountain is lighting the path to a brighter future by supporting the sustainable projects of nonprofits through our charitable program, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. To learn more, visit greenmountainenergy.com.
ABOUT CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION
Since 1971, CEC has been connecting people with each other and with hundreds of organizations doing environmental work and advocacy in the Houston / Gulf Coast region. CEC shares, supports, and enhances their efforts and environmental advocacy. CEC fosters and strengthens this community through publications that give a balanced perspective on environmental issues and through events that enhance understanding, including the Wild About Houston Green Film Festival and Earth Day Houston. cechouston.org
ABOUT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS
Houston Public Works (www.HoustonPublicWorks.org) is the largest and most diverse public works organization in the country, responsible for creating a strong foundation for Houston to thrive. Houston Public Works is responsible for streets and drainage, production and distribution of water, collection, and treatment of wastewater, and permitting and regulation of public and private construction covering a 671-square mile service area. Houston Public Works is accredited by the American Public Works Association. Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @HouPublicWorks
