Venice, CA

AIRED:

April 21, 2005 (aired with GoldenEye)

This week Christine and Dan kicked off Earth Day in Venice, California. While they were there, they came up with some interesting and helpful ideas on how to celebrate your own Earth Day weekend:

ROAD TRIPS

This weekend, take a road trip to see some of the most amazing scenic vistas this country has to offer in some of our most amazing national parks. You never know what you'll discover! Those of you in the Pacific Northwest can see glacier-capped mountains and temperate rain forests all in one day at Olympic National Park in Washington. If you're on the east coast and you're in the mood for a little hike, you'll find amazing scenery on any stretch of the 2174-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Maine to Georgia. Southwesterners can see amazing views from below the earth as well as above at Great Basin in Nevada. This park has massive caverns with huge stalactites and stalagmites as well as beautiful views from the 13,000 foot Wheeler Peak. If you can't make it to one of these parks this weekend, our country contains over 400 areas preserved by the National Parks system - all you have to do to find a National Park near you is visit www.nps.gov. 

MAKE YOUR OWN POTPOURRI

This weekend, make homemade potpourri from your old flowers. Dan and Christine spoke to Shirley Bovshow our flower expert to get some great tips on how to make your very own potpourri - Click here to learn how to make your own,* or check out this link for even more potpourri recipes.
*Requires Adobe Reader

RECYCLE YOUR JEWELRY

This weekend, recycle your old jewelry and make something new. Amanda Keidan gave us some tips on how to do it. Here's one: look for pieces that can be created into something different than they were originally - for instance, a brooch can be made into a necklace, or you can take the stones from an older piece and create something new. For more information, check out this link or visit this link.

MAKE YOUR OWN GRANOLA

This weekend, why not make your own granola? It's the perfect snack for an Earth Day weekend, and it's really easy to make. Homemade granola is perfect for taking along on the hiking trail or for dumping on your ice cream. And of course you can use your granola to make granola bars. Click here to learn how to make your own granola and granola bars.*
*Requires Adobe Reader

HOT SPRINGS

This weekend, visit some natural hot springs. Hot springs come in many forms: some have been harnessed as attractions at resorts, like at the Warner Springs Ranch in San Diego, California, but if you prefer to rough it and you don't mind a little hike, you can find hot springs in their natural state all over the country. To find a non-commercial hot spring near you, visit www.soak.net for locations and directions (as well as latitude and longitude coordinates for you GPS users). Finally, some places combine a hot springs resort with the feel of roughing it. That's the case in Hot Springs, North Carolina at the Hot Springs Spa, where guests are welcomed to camp in tents, RVs, or rustic camping cabins. So forget about the hot tubs this Earth Day weekend and relax in the planet's very own natural hot springs.

RECYCLE AND REUSE

Here's some great recycling ideas to use this weekend: first, you can recycle attractive magazine pages and the Sunday funnies to use as envelopes and wrapping paper for special events. Not only is it a unique way to present cards and gifts, you'll also save money. If you work with wood, here's an idea for what to do with all of that sawdust: mix it up with wallpaper paste to make modeling clay. Use a cup of paste for every two cups of sawdust and add water slowly until it has the consistency of clay. Once you're happy with your sculpture you've created, let it harden overnight, then smooth it out with sandpaper and paint it. Finally, here's something really cool to do with used tin cans: make tin can lanterns! Just fill a used tin can with water and freeze it overnight. The frozen water gives the can a solid backing, which allows you to use a hammer and nail to punch in a decorative pattern. When you remove the ice and burn a candle inside the can, the light shines through the tiny holes you've punched, creating a very cool effect.

EARTH DAY FESTIVITIES

This weekend, check out an Earth Day gathering near you! For example, the Star ECO Station in Culver City, California is throwing an island-themed Earth Day party for children on Sunday. The ECO Center is an official wildlife rescue center that houses all kinds of exotic animals and endangered species, so it's a really great place to visit on Earth Day. Another cool event called Earth Gathering is taking place in Chillicothe, Ohio on Saturday. It's an art festival that features music, art, sculpture and homemade crafts, all inspired by or created from nature. Finally, check out the Earth Day celebration at the Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport, Washington - the scenery alone is worth the trip. For more earthday celebrations, visit www.earthday.net.