Haddonfield is celebrating Earth Day through Sunday as part of Green Week, a chance for the community to participate in educational and hands-on activities and learn about the environment.
Earth Day has historically been celebrated in the borough as a one-day event, but Jamie Mullen, secretary for the Haddonfield Environmental Commission, noted that in the past two years, the group has expanded related activities and opportunities for discussions.
Green Week kicked off with a viewing of the documentary “Search for the Cooper: A River in Plain View,” at the Haddonfield library. The film follows the 2022 expedition of four area youth – including one Haddonfield student – as they travel 17 miles to discover the source of the Cooper River in Gibbsboro.
Events continue Thursday with a Recycling with Roger Racoon and Mindy’s Den workshop at the library at 3:30 p.m. The session is for kids ages 6 to 11 to experiment with alternative energy sources. The library will also host a mosquito control presentation at 7 p.m. with Dr. Dina Fonseca, chair of the Department of Entomology at Rutgers.
“We’re trying to help people understand where mosquitos come from, where they hatch, where they live and help them think of ways to reducing their mosquito populations without resorting to chemicals,” Mullen explained, adding that the consequences of using insecticides including killing pollinators like bees and other beneficial insects and the release of chemicals into waterways.
Green Week continues Friday with a 7 p.m. presentation at the library on the Haddonfield-Cooper River connection. Guests will learn about the early 20th-century vision to establish parkland along the river and pond to benefit the community as well as the waterway’s historic relationship with the borough.
“We have a long history with the Cooper River,” Mullen noted. “It’s a habitat for lots of wildlife. There are wetlands that surround the Cooper River, and it’s important that we not pave over and contaminate the river that started it all.”
Saturday’s Green Week events will include a “moderately challenging 75-minute walk” – as described by planners – around Evans Pond starting at 10 a.m. and a tree-planting workshop at 11:30 a.m. at Crows Woods. The latter will also be the location for another walk where attendees can learn about native and invasive plants at 1 p.m.
Events will conclude on Sunday with a birds of prey workshop at 1 p.m. at Library Point, led by the Cinnaminson-based Freedom Center for Wildlife. Participants wil see birds up close and learn about their lifestyles, as well as threats to their environment. A workshop on plant arrangements using foraged plants will follow at 2 p.m. at the same location.
