The first Biosphere 2 Earth Day Festival, a fusion of science and art, will take place Saturday.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 32540 S. Biosphere Road in Oracle.
Biosphere 2 director Travis Huxman said the festival is designed to combine music, art, science and technology as a way to bridge the gap between the public and science.
“We want everyone, young and old, science-inclined or not, to spend a day with us and get a unique look at our natural world,” Huxman said.
Navajo musician Mary Redhouse will perform on the flute inside the Biosphere 2 dome. She was nominated for a Grammy in 2005 for her collaboration with the Carlos Nakai Quartet.
Also performing will be the Kontomble Quartet and the Apocaplypso Steel Band.
It’s no surprise that Biosphere 2 was selected as an Earth Day celebration site.
“Biosphere 2 was designed and has been used to help us better understand how our Earth, which is Biosphere 1, works in maintaining all the necessary conditions to support life,” said UA College of Science dean Joaquin Ruiz, “Consequently, I think it is very fitting that Biosphere 2 celebrates Earth Day.”
Scientist and author Jan Poynter, one of eight people to live in the sealed, artificial Biosphere 2 dome, will sign copies of her book, “The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2″ at the festival.
Earth Day will mark the unveiling of several permanent exhibits on solar energy, green roofs, rainwater harvesting and a phenology garden.
Artists, businesses and vendors will inform the public about being “green.”
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If you go
What: Biosphere 2 Earth Day Festival
Where: 32540 S. Biosphere Road, Oracle
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and military, and free for ages 15 and under
Details: For more information, call Nathan Allen at 838-6168 or e-mail nallen@b2science.org.
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What is Earth Day?
On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day.
Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe on or about April 22.
Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grass-roots organizations and citizens, what started as a day of national environmental recognition evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect the global environment.
Source: www.eps.gov/earthday