Lakewood Families Reflect On Climate Issues At Earth Day Celebration
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - In Lakewood, the community gathered for a windy, but festive Earth Day celebration.
"We enjoy it. We like seeing all the vendors the music, the food. It's a good time for the family," said Andrea Girolmo, a Lakewood resident. "To show an example for my kid and hopefully have a better future for him."
On Saturday, people gathered at Heritage Lakewood to celebrate the planet. Many people also discussed the climate issues facing the state like wildfires.
"It's the most compelling evidence of global warming. When the fire spread through Marshall and Superior, that was unthinkable," said Luke Clarke, with Citizens' Climate Lobby. "Here we are in mid April, and we have these high fire danger days, and it's not just in the mountains and the forest anymore, it's in the suburbs.
Back-to-back wildfires igniting around the state sparks concern for those like Clarke.
"Yes, it scares me, but the thing to do when you're scared is not to panic but to act," he said.
Jonathan Wachtel, the Sustainability Manager with the city of Lakewood, said there's a lot of work being done in the area for hazard mitigation, and because of what we've seen over the years around the state, that now includes wildfires.
"We know it's important to understand our vulnerabilities and identify those and work to become resilient and be ready to adapt to those changes that are maybe a little bit different than what we've planned for in the past," said Wachtel.
In 2015, the city of Lakewood adopted a sustainability plan. The city also has several neighborhood lead group projects that tackle environmental issues, such as waste reduction and community gardens.