Community Services Program

Celebrating our planet! Clouds and rain fail to subdue Earth Day event. Parade: People care about the environment

April 20, 2006, By Sarah Chouinard

The Earth Day parade that took place last Thursday, April 13, in downtown New Bedford was a huge success, despite the intermittent clouds and ten minute downpour the group experienced at the end of the procession.

The parade started around 5:30 p.m. and ended around 6:30 p.m. with the crowning of Mother Earth and Father Ocean, the recipients of which were Mr. and Mrs. Anthony. They were chosen as part of the annual tradition to recognize people who are environmentally friendly and have done good things in the community to represent their dedication to such.

People form the Greater New Bedford community sent in nominations for the recipients of this Earth Eve Parade honor, which is how Mr. and Mrs. Anthony were chosen.

The parade marker for Mother Earth, Gabrielle Healy, is a ten-year-old in third grade, and daughter of UMass Dartmouth Community Service Coordinator, Deirdre Healy, and was very happy to be involved in the procession.

“I loved the parade. It was very fun and I think lots of kids should do it; it is for a good cause,” the young Healy mentioned. “The parade is a good example for other kids because some grow up having lots of things and do not know where it came from. The parade helps them to realize that we need to protect [certain things] and use less [of other things] in order to preserve our environment.”

Her mother agreed that the parade was a success. “This was the best Earth Day celebration we have seen because it was the highest level of participation. Professor Kowalski took the challenge [with her students] and it really paid off for the parade,” she expressed.

People gathered at the Custom House Square, and they proceeded to walk past the New Bedford City Hall, the city library, Gallery X, Unitarian Church, YMCA and the Whaling Museum, returning to Custom House Square for a recognition ceremony.

The procession was headed by an introductory banner, with volunteer students, including Joe McCloskey, followed by Jamie Eckert’s MD Brazilian Rhythms.

Emcee Vinny Lovegrove energetically pumped up the crowd and helped to recognize the parade participants at the end with certificates awarding their contributions, with help from Deirdre Healy.

There were seventeen groups in total who arrived with their recycled floats to show their support to the Earth. They were ‘people-powered floats,’ mindful of the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – with the Carney Academy cheerleading squad contributing cheers in support of the environment.

Thirteen of these floats were from UMass Dartmouth, as a result of a Managing and Developing Work Teams class taught by Dr. Kellyann Kowalski in the business department, encompassing groups of students creating a float as part of a project.

One group recreated Noah’s Ark and gathered support from children, age’s seven to ten, who attend the Boys and Girls club in New Bedford, led by team member Nick Taber, who was dressed as Noah.

“I think it went really well for having 20 eight-year-olds participating,” admitted Breanna Kemp, a Noah’s Ark group member. “The parade itself was really good; the kids were on their best behavior.”

Other floats that were seen on the route included the Preserve Earth’s Beauty float and the Whale float, the UMD recycles, Save Buzzards Bay, and interesting bottle pyramid headed by team member Tim Long, Coexisting in Harmony, the Trustees of Reservations and a Planet Earth float.

The William Taylor Elementary School fifth graders also had a Save Endangered Species float, with the Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven, promoting Land, Earth and No Trash. Additionally, there was a Brownie Troop 113 all dressed up and with a float promoting the Acushnet River.

Despite the awards ceremony being cut short because of the rain, there were still several people who engaged in the AHA (Art, History and Architecture) Night visiting local New Bedford businesses, including some jewelry shops.

Overall, the gathering was a huge step towards increasing the awareness and recognition that so many people care about the environment and should truly acknowledge that things should not be taken for granted.