Celebrating Earth Day over a full weekend (aptly named Earth Days), the Southampton Arts Center kicks off festivities on Friday, April 20, with a screening of the documentary An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, followed by discussion and presented with The Climate Reality Project.
Day two, titled the Earth Summit, begins with an introduction to environmentalist Paul Hawken’s book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. Next, Renewable Energy Long Island, GreenLogic, Perfect Earth Project, the Peconic Land Trust and Surfrider Foundation lead panel talks on topics including energy and sustainability, land and water, and personal action. A dialogue on government action will be hosted by Karl Grossman with Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Legislator Bridget Fleming and Southampton Mayor Michael Irving. The day ends with a sound meditation session by Daniel Lauter. “The idea is to clear your mind, absorb what you learned, and then be able to go out there and take action,” says Director of Programs Amy Kirwin.
Sunday features the Earth Day Celebration and Fair, a family festival with entertainment by World Music trio Son Mundial, art projects, children’s programs, free films in the theater and more. Tesla will be present on Friday and Sunday, offering guests the chance to test-drive one of their eco-friendly electric cars on Sunday. A member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation will make an appearance over the weekend to conduct a traditional Earth blessing. “Part of our goal is to bring all of these different communities together,” says co-chair Elyn Kronemeyer. “There’s a very diverse community in Southampton. We’re so lucky to have that diversity, and we want everyone to feel part of our community and our efforts to make our world cleaner.”
Continuing its fight for our planet, the Southampton Arts Center will host monthly climate action forums on the last Thursday of every month for the rest of the year. Friday, $10; Saturday, $25; Sunday, free. Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton; southamptonartscenter.org