Clean water two-day celebration on Peoria riverfront         

Displays and speakers address protecting our natural resources

[APRIL 11, 2006]  PEORIA -- There's nothing else like it. It's one of the largest environmental classrooms of its kind in the United States and the world. It's students making a difference by protecting water, our most precious natural resource. It's the voice for over 3,000 Illinois students, teachers, business professionals and environmentalists, who are joined by an odd assortment of tiny tadpoles, wiggly fish and zebra mussels. It's the 2006 Clean Water Celebration on the Peoria riverfront on April 23, beginning at noon, and at the Peoria Civic Center on April 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This year's Clean Water Celebration, with the theme "Earth, Wind and Water," will focus on the choices we make and the impact these choices have on our planet. The keynote sessions will feature renowned marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle, who will speak about "Sustainable Seas: The Vision/The Reality." Join her in taking a look at what we put into our oceans, what we take out and the effects of this exchange.

Earle, sometimes known as "Her Deepness" or the "Sturgeon General," has been an explorer-in-residence for the National Geographic Society since 1998, the year Time magazine named her their first "hero for the planet." Earle has pioneered research on marine ecosystems and has led more than 50 expeditions totaling more than 6,000 hours underwater. She holds numerous diving records, including setting the women's depth record for solo diving at 3,300 feet (1,000 meters).

Since 1990, Earle has held a variety of important posts, including chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She describes the ocean as the cornerstone of Earth's life support system -- vital for the survival and well-being of humankind. As Earle says, the ocean has no borders, and we must all focus our energies on critical conservation.

Also featured at this year's Clean Water Celebration is Roger Klocek, senior conservation biologist at the Shedd Aquarium, who will talk about native mussels and the many changes that have taken place in our river system. Mark Twain impersonator Warren Brown will tell tales of the river from the days of the paddle-wheelers, and Brian "Fox" Ellis will tell about the history of the river and its inhabitants through song and stories. Students will get a close-up view of live eagles from expert Joe Hand from Wildlife Prairie State Park and will learn from Roger Brown of Western Illinois University's Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs about the potential of wind energy in central Illinois and how wind is used to generate power.

The keynote presentations are at 7:30 p.m. on April 23 at a dinner program at the Packard Building, across from the Mark Twain Hotel, and at 9 and 11 a.m. on April 24 in the Civic Center Theatre. Tickets for the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., are $20; tickets for only the program, at 7:30 p.m., are $10.

A "Parade of Waters" will kick off the Clean Water Celebration at noon on April 23 at the Gateway building on the Peoria riverfront. High school students bringing water from different Illinois rivers, lakes and streams will convene and symbolically bring all the waters of the state of Illinois together. Three "Making Waves" awards will be presented to individuals or groups that have made a difference to the cleanliness of water and the environment.

Also taking place along the riverfront on April 23 is the Walk for the Earth Wind and Water, a new event this year to benefit the Clean Water Celebration. The walk begins at 1 p.m. Walk day registration begins at noon at the Gateway building, with participants receiving a commemorative T-shirt and a goody bag. Before April 15, registration is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and anyone under 18. After April 15, the registration fees are $20 and $15, respectively. Please call 495-4932 to register or for more information.

The Clean Water Celebration is a. truly unique event, a model developed in Peoria for over half a dozen "water celebrations" that have sprung up across the country. The goal is to impress upon students the importance of thinking globally and acting locally. By increasing knowledge in the community and schools about the importance of water conservation and preservation, the Clean Water Celebration establishes the human right to clean water and a healthy environment. Val Adamkus, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 director, who since became the president of Lithuania, said it's "the most important environmental classroom in the United States."

The Clean Water Celebration is a joint effort between The Sun Foundation, which is an arts and science education group in the tri-county area, and the Rivers Project, a high school program coordinated by Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Hundreds of high school students from the Rivers Project will be joined by thousands of middle school students from central Illinois for a day of presentations, exhibits, art, science, theater and song.

Thirty schools and over 40 environmental organizations and businesses are expected to exhibit on a wide range of topics, from zebra mussels and wildlife of the wetlands to recycling and water treatment. Back by popular demand in the exhibit area this year are the "environmental streams" in which students will flow through various presentations on fish and aquatic life, watershed protection and recycling.

The event is sponsored in part by grants from Illinois-American Water, the Illinois Arts Council, Caterpillar, AmerenCilco, CF Industries, Cargill, Tazewell County Health Department, Central Region Groundwater Protection Committee, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Humanities Council, Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Tazewell County Regional Office of Education, Prospect TV & Sound, Wayne E. Baum Family Foundation, Illinois Humanities Council, Peoria County Recycling and Resource Conservation, Tazewell County Solid Waste, Tazewell Recycling and Disposal Facility, Commerce Bank, Aventine Renewable Energy, MGP Ingredients, Central Illinois Community Foundation, Litwiller Excavating, Mark Twain Hotel, the Peoria Academy of Sciences, and the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Admission is free to students and the public on Monday. For more information, reservations or dinner tickets, please call [phone].

[Clean Water Celebration news release]