Seattle Center Host Official Earth Day Celebration, 4/22

Seattle Center hosts the City's official Earth Day Celebration as part of The Next Fifty (Next 50), on Sunday, Apr 22, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on the Center grounds. The day also marks the beginning of Next 50 Sustainable Futures month, the first of six months of events and activities focusing on important issues of our day to recognize the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

The day begins with an Earth Day Ceremony and Welcome, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., in Next 50 Plaza (located between Seattle Center Armory/Center House and EMP Museum). Elected officials, including Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and U.S. Representative Jim McDermott, and keynote speaker, Roberto Ascalon, Program Coordinator at Food Empowerment Education and Sustainability Team (FEEST), will present their insights on the environment. The program features the Habitat for Humanity Build Project kick-off, Our Sustainable Futures Experience Exhibit ribbon cutting, and more.

Additional Earth Day highlights inlcude:

Volunteers may learn how they can help build the Habitat for Humanity House of the Immediate Future, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., in Next 50 Plaza. The House uses sustainable building practices, technological innovation and civic commitment to create future communities. The build project continues for the six-month duration of Next 50.

Visitors may learn about all of the factors involved in sustaining the health of our society in Our Sustainable Futures Experience, addressing what might surprise us about our region's collective efforts when we look back 50 years from now, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (and continuing through Jun 30), in the Next 50 Pavilion, Next 50 Plaza.

Free hands-on activities and entertainment showcase the region's innovations in sustainability, presented by more than a dozen partner organizations. A community crochet for an installation, Mater Matrix Mother Medium, by artist Mandy Greer, provides the public an opportunity to assist in the creation of a work of environmental art, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. in the Activity Tent, Next 50 Plaza.

A moderated Arts and Sustainability panel discussion explores temporary artworks showcased at Seattle Center during Sustainable Futures month and addresses the connections between art and the environment, 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Seattle Center Armory/Center House. Presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs 1% for Art Program in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light, panelists include artists Adam Frank, Mandy Greer, Stacy Levy and moderator Julie Parrett.

Additional Earth Day exhibits include: Living Design Competition Exhibit, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. (and continuing through May 31), Intiman Playhouse, showcasing leading ideas about the future of cities that are carbon neutral, net zero in their water and energy consumption and wholesome for people; NASA Driven to Explore Exhibit in Seattle Center Armory/Center House, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; and Celebrating Century 21, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in International Fountain Pavilion.

Earth Day partners include: The Nature Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity, Forterra and Green Seattle Partnership, Cascade Harvest Coalition, National Parks Service/Olympic National Park, King County Wastewater Treatment Division, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods P-Patch Program, City of Seattle Office of Sustainability, Community Power Works, Seattle Parks Department, FEEST, and Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

The Next Fifty continues through Oct 21 with six months of events, attractions and family activities focusing on: arts, culture and Design; history: sustainable futures; science and technology; global health; learning; commerce and the innovation economy; and civic action. Seattle Center Foundation heads up the 50th anniversary celebration, working with 19 volunteer committees to plan the events, cultivating partnerships to enable the programming and capital development, and reaching out to the region to ensure broad community participation.

Next 50 premier partners include: Bartell Drugs, Bill & MeLinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, Grousemont Foundation, Samsung, Seattle Center Monorail, T-Mobile, TPN (The Production Network) and World Vision. Funding and participating partners include: 206 Inc., 4Culture, City of Seattle, Global Health Nexus, Hill & Knowlton Strategies, KOMO 4 TV, KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, One to the World, Safeco Insurance: A Liberty Mutual Company, Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Washington Economic Development Commission.

The organizers of the World's Fair left the legacy of Seattle Center to allow for a place in the core of our region for public gatherings, arts cultivation and family activities. In keeping with their vision, The Next Fifty challenges our community to engage in the critical discussions of our day, essential celebrations, and inspiring presentations. For more information on The Next Fifty and Seattle Center, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200.

Since its beginning 50 years ago, Seattle Center has served as a cultural and civic gathering place at the core of our region. In 2012, The Next Fifty at Seattle Center celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1962 World's Fair and the physical legacy it left. The 74-acre Seattle Center campus, home to more than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations presenting nearly 5,000 events annually, exists to delight and inspire the human spirit in each person and bring together our rich and varied community. The 12 million visits to Seattle Center each year generate $1.15 billion in business activity and $387 million in labor income for King County.