Growing in every capacity from last year’s event, the Earth Day Expo on April 20 features presentations and workshops about uniting nature and technology at Flathead Valley Community College. 

Hosting the event, the Flathead Valley chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby is a national nonprofit organization that advocates for Congress to take up bipartisan climate solutions. 

Flathead Valley chapter co-leaders Angie Winter and Robin Paone said last year’s Earth Day event “whetted their appetite” to do more for the observance this year putting on a free full-day event. 

“You’re going to learn about outdoor adventures, hikes and river tours, you'll learn about saving money by going electric — there's just so many things,” Paone said. “But mostly, what I hope people take with them is that there are many solutions that all of our local organizations are involved in providing.”

The day kicks off with the keynote speaker Tom McDonald, vice chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Other panel discussions will follow in the auditorium, including a discussion on sustainable agriculture, a youth roundtable and local success stories on businesses paving the way in sustainability, among others. 

Panelists from organizations such as Citizens for a Better Flathead, Whitefish Lake Institute, the Yak Valley Forest Council, Glacier National Park, Whitefish Mountain Resort and Arrants Outdoors will be part of the day. 

“That's just one panel discussion. So if you consider that there are six of those and we've got that kind of representation, it gives you an idea of the overwhelmingly positive support we're getting from the community for this event, which is really, really exciting,” Winter said. 

Workshops for adults include Canaries in the Coal Mine by Flathead Audubon, How To Pay for Electric Products, and How to Buy Electric Cars, Solar and More. There will also be an electric vehicle showcase — Paone said a parking lot outside the Arts and Technology building will be filled with EV vehicles, where owners and car dealers will talk to attendees.

There will be e-bikes available to ride, a look at an electric boat and the opportunity to tour and potentially ride in Bigfork Schools electric bus. 

“EVs are not the only climate solution, but that is one area that we know we can make a difference. The technology has just changed so fast and there's so many options now that we thought we should showcase that,” Paone said. 

There will be 37 booths featuring local businesses and organizations that are involved with conservation, renewable energy, science or recreation. 

Kids activities start at 9:30 a.m. with an Earth Day storytime presented by the Flathead County Library. There will also be an augmented reality sandbox where children can create mountains, rivers and lakes, a presentation on birding and the opportunity for children and adults to help create a mural about Earth Day.

But, Paone said one of the most exciting additions this year is the passport kids can use to collect stamps from various stations. If they can collect seven stamps they can enter a raffle to win prizes such as gift cards to Sweet Peaks Ice Cream and a stuffed animal. 

A full schedule will be available at a general information table at the event.

The Earth Day Expo takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Flathead Valley Community College Arts and Technology building. To learn more about the day’s activities, visit www.citizensclimatemt.org/earth-day-flathead-valley-montana/. 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing [email protected].