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Green for a Day?


 

Today is Greenfest, which is Howard County’s largest celebration of Earth Day. It’s certainly not the only way that HoCo celebrates Earth Day during the month of April, but, it is truly a “one-stop-shopping” experience for all things related to sustainability and care for the environment.



Here are some helpful links:

Howard County Greenfest website

Greenfest 2025 Guide

The very first GreenFest was held in 2007 in the parking lot of the Howard County Dorsey building. Following its successful debut, the 2008 event was held at the Glenwood Community Center. From 2009 onwards it has been hosted by Howard County Community College. I wouldn’t know any of this had I not stumbled upon a delightful piece by Lindsay DeMarzo (now Stormwater Programs Manager.)

Greenfest: Tales from Beneath the Leaf, Lindsay DeMarzo, 2011

If you have a minute, it’s a fun and engaging read describing the early years and evolution of GreenFest. I particularly loved this recollection of GreenFest 2008: 

We lucked out – people showed and so did the sun.  Lots of people, in fact. … We did learn that year that even though it was sunny, wind is not a vendor’s friend so we made a note to self: Keep everyone inside next year or provide a lot of rocks for paper weights.

Anyone who has ever participated in an outdoor festival on a windy day knows exactly what DeMarzo is talking about. 

One more thing: if you are heading over to GreenFest today, you can assist the HCC Fueling Dragons Campus Food Pantry while you are there. 

Campus Food Pantry

Donations of food and personal care items will be collected on the first floor of the Galleria during GreenFest. The Fueling Dragons program supports current HCC students overcome food insecurity and cultivate healthy habits. Visit their website for more details.

  • GreenFest 2025
  • Howard Community College 
  • Saturday April 12th from 10 am to 3 pm

How to get there?

Bike: Choose a "green" mode of transportation this year! Bike HoCo is partnering with GreenFest to provide a free bike corral for visitors and volunteers. If the journey is too far to cycle, consider bringing your bike to an outlying parking lot and biking to the corral. 

Bus: There are three RTA buses that serve the Howard Community College campus: 401, 404 and 414. Download the Transit app for real-time date.

Drive: Consider carpooling with other GreenFest attendees! Vendors and attendees should park in the East Garage for easy accessibility to the Academic Commons and outdoor activities.

If you can’t make it to GreenFest today, Clarksville Commons will be celebrating Earth Day on April 19th and Oakland Mills Village will hold their celebration on April 26th.

Are there other HoCoLocal Earth Day events we should know about? Let me know. 


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