EarthFest, an Earth Day celebration, sponsored by White Lotus Home, will be held Friday evening, April 22, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., in downtown Highland Park. Festivities will be based at 431 Raritan Avenue, the home of White Lotus Home, a leading manufacturer and national distributor of handmade organic bedding.
EarthFest also celebrates the 35th anniversary of White Lotus Home, one of New Jersey’s oldest manufacturing businesses, which is dedicated to eco-friendly products free of toxic materials and fire retardants.
“Everyday is Earth Day at White Lotus Home,” said Marlon Pando, White Lotus Home’s president. “Please join us to celebrate. We’re a thrilled for so many years to share our passion for the health benefits that come from a green lifestyle.
“We’re proud to call New Jersey home. We’ve been part of the community from the start,” he said. “That will never change.”
The event – featuring food, music, information about the benefits of green lifestyles and organic manufacturing demonstrations — will include activities for all ages.
The very first Earth Day in 1970 was a teach-in that prompted 20 million people in cities around the country to protest the environmental impact of the industrial revolution. The event is widely credited with giving birth to a global environmental movement.
Earth Day went global in 1990 with 140 countries participating. Last year, more than 1 billion people participated worldwide. The environmental movement figured in the founding of White Lotus Home in New Brunswick on Earth Day 1981. The business has expanded over the years to become a national leader in organic bedding, offering a wide range of mattresses, pillows and bedding, all handcrafted in Highland Park of natural fibers free of formaldehyde, dyes, fragrances and other chemicals.
Over the past decade, White Lotus Home estimates it has used 600,000 pounds of American-grown cotton. On average, the company, which has 15 employees, manufactures 8,500 pillows and 2,500 mattresses annually. Its goods are sold by over 100 Internet-based and brick-and-mortar stores about the country, Pando said.
“As the Internet continues to make the world a smaller place to do business, a location in New Jersey allows us to reach all of Canada and the entire United States and places in Europe,” he said. “We now do business in just about every major city in the U.S.”
Earth Day is on the vernal equinox, a special day when nighttime and daylight are the same length everywhere on Earth.
Earth Day’s founders believed the equinox was the best day to celebrate the planet because it was a time of equilibrium, when people all over the could put aside their differences and recognize their common need to preserve Earth’s resources
12 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Don’t restrict yourself to April 22 – every day is Earth Day at White Lotus Home! Here’s how you can celebrate:
- Sleep on organic bedding. Try a Kapok pillow, organic cotton sheets or an organic mattress or topper. Whitelotushome.com has Earth Day specials to make it affordable to achieve your first Organic Dream.
- Spread the word. Talking about the environment with people who may not have given it much thought is a good way to celebrate Earth Day. Talk to kids, co-workers, friends, neighbors and siblings about the environmental issues most important to you. Recycling? Energy conservation? Organic food choices? You get the idea.
- Attend an Earth Day event. You’ll be introduced to new environmentally friendly products, eat locally grown food and chat with people who are making a difference.
- Make a recycling plan. Know what you can and can’t recycle, and start separating out recyclable goods.
- Cook a special Earth Day meal. Invite friends and family over for a menu that uses locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce. Forgo meat or consider a meat substitute. However, if you’re an avowed carnivore at heart, look for locally produced, organic meat.
- Fix a leaky faucet. Drip, drip, drip. You’ve put off repairing that leaky faucet for some time now. Only 1 percent of Earth’s water is drinkable, and our supply is endangered. Use Earth Day as motivation to stop wasting water.
- Taking cars off the road is one of the best ways to combat climate change. Find neighbors to share the daily commute, or locate a ride-sharing partner online.
- Skip the bottled water. Bottled water consumes huge amounts of fossil fuels to produce and transport, and most of those recyclable water bottles end up in landfills. Get yourself a refillable, permanent water bottle to carry with you. Save money and the environment, too.
- Organize a community cleanup. Get a group together to clean up your local park, schoolyard or beach.
- Write your elected officials. Reach out to elected representatives to voice your concerns about local environmental issues. Letter writing is one of the best ways to have your voice heard.
- Go carless! Walk, ride a bike, or use public transportation. Leave the car at home. Plus, it’s great exercise!
- Share Earth Day with children. Help children use recycled products to make art projects. Talk with them about Green living and the importance of preserving Mother Earth.
For information about EarthFest and White Lotus Home, please go to https://www.whitelotushome.com/