Nashville’s big Earth Day celebration is this Saturday, April 18, at Centennial Park. City Cast Nashville is proud to be one of the sponsors of this family-friendly event, featuring interactive exhibits, free trees, live music, and so much more. To learn more about Nashville Earth Day, I spoke with Justin Branam, Centennial Park Conservancy's Vice President of Programming.
How did the Nashville Earth Day festival get started?
“I’m no historian, though I believe that the first ever Nashville Earth Day celebration was in 1990, and presented in collaboration with the Earth Day Coalition, Mayor Bill Boner’s Office, and Rosanne Cash’s Earth Communications Office. It was held at Riverfront Park, and included a concert by Rosanne Cash, The Bellamy Brothers, and Rodney Crowell. The festival moved to Centennial Park in the early 2000s, and is now held at the historic bandshell in Centennial Park, where it welcomes about 13,000 people each year.”
What are your favorite new activities happening at this year’s festival?
“This year, we have lined up a really impressive group of speakers, who will give short presentations at the festival across several topics in the sustainability, nature, and environmentalism space. As always, we’ll have incredible local musical performers at the bandshell, as well as great food options, activities for children, and more.”
What do you hope people leave with after attending the festival?
“I hope the day serves as an opportunity to celebrate what Earth has given to each of us, and also an opportunity to reflect on how we can better care for Earth. I hope that attendees leave with practical knowledge and tools to take small steps towards sustainability in their own everyday lives.”
More than 75 vendors will be in attendance, including Small World Yoga, The Science Guys, and Turnip Green Creative Reuse. There will also be 16 food trucks, like The Grilled Cheeserie, Hoss’ Loaded Burgers, and NashBowls Açaí.
