What on Earth is the Earth Forum?

A bit more than a year ago, we started talking in Green Team meetings about how great it would be for Norfolk to have an event focused on planet care. We dreamed together about how such a gathering might highlight Norfolk as a place of incomparable natural beauty as well as home to a variety of informed, inspiring, hard-working people who love where we live. By "where we live" I include Norfolk but also use the phrase to capture our planet, solar system, and beyond. 

We reached out to several people and groups, floating our idea to see if it might find shared enthusiasm. We quickly partnered up - in a grassroots collaborative way - with Great Mountain Forest, Aton Forest, the Norfolk Conservation Commission, the Norfolk Land Trust, the Norfolk Library, and Botelle School. Plans quickly solidified, and we wound up hosting four separate events over Earth Day weekend, culminating in a play honoring the life of Rachel Carson. It was an enlightening, inspiring, and wonderful weekend, and we set a precedent for great things to come.

It didn't take us long to start planning for this year's Earth Forum, planned for April 25-27. We have doubled the number of events and added significantly to the list of organizers and participants (all of the above plus The Norfolk Hub, CommonWise, the Manor House, Norfolk Rails 2 Trails, as well as sponsorship support from National Iron Bank and the Northwest CT Community Foundation). We are more organized and PR-savvy, thanks to Cheryl Heller of CommonWise and Rachel Roth of Manor House, plus Laura Carl at the Hub.

Our theme for this year is "Our Glorious Northwest Corner: Celebrating the Connectedness of All." Our hope is that all who attend and participate in the eight free events come away with renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our region, and a commitment to honoring the oneness of all that exists by caring for the planet. I hope that we are challenged and inspired through new insights and deepening awe, and that these lead to specific actions for the benefit of our Earth home.

We kick off early with a special exhibit at The Norfolk Hub on loan from the Salisbury Association entitled "Imperiled Species in Our Community: The Biodiversity Crisis At Home." This runs from April 10-30 during Hub hours. Another early bonus comes on Thursday 4/24 with a talk at the Norfolk Library by author Scott Smith about his book "Compost: A Year in the Life of a Suburban Garden." Friday night is our Opening Reception at the Hub featuring Tim Abbott, Conservation Director of the Housatonic Valley Association. Later that evening, the Norfolk Library will show the film "The Road Not Taken" and we'll have a chance to ask Tom Strumolo about his work getting solar panels installed on the White House during Jimmy Carter's presidency. Saturday's events include a Books and Boots hike, a Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers Walk, plus a talk about birds at the Norfolk Library. On Sunday, there is a chance to make a toad house, learn more about reptiles and amphibians, and end the day with a concert by Grammy-winning musician Paul Winter in the Church of Christ meetinghouse. The full calendar including registration links for the eight free events can be found at norfolkhub.org. 

This promises to be a powerful, truly inspiring weekend. If you are like me, you cannot have too much awe in your life. The Earth Forum promises a healthy dose of what we need right now. Please plan to come, and spread the word!