Coppell Celebrates Our Planet During Earth Fest [PHOTOS]

Heather takes time to smell the flowers at the Coppell Community Garden during ecoCoppell Earth Fest. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

Festival season is in full swing here in Texas. The weather is warm. The flowers are blooming. And everyone is looking for reasons to get out of the house and enjoy Spring. Yesterday, we headed to Coppell along with hundreds of other folks for Earth Fest, a celebration of the city’s commitment to the environment. 

After going through tons of papers for taxes over the past few weeks, I dreaded having to put all those forms, receipts, invoices, etc. through my small home office shredder. Thankfully Heather knew the city was going to have free and secure document shredding available at the festival. So we loaded up the car and headed on over to Coppell Town Center. But there was so much more at the event than just free shredding!

Coppell Town Center is more than the heart of the city. It is grand central for great activities like Earth Fest. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

We chatted with folks from Texas A&M AgriLife Research Extension about water conservation and learned about native and adapted plants that grow easily in North Texas. We took a short quiz about water in the state and learned that Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texas, that there are seven major aquifers in the state, and that it is important to pick up dog waste because it contaminates our environment due to bacteria.

Something that does help the earth, however, are worms! The nice people at Vita Utare showed us their Worm Factory where earthworms efficiently recycle food waste, turning it into one of the richest natural fertilizers known to man, worm castings. This stuff is pure, clean and refined and works wonders in our gardens. Best of all, it is an entirely natural process that helps raise tastier produce!

If you’re not into the worm thing, however, we understand. But that doesn’t mean you can’t eat well. Head on over to the Coppell Farmers Market on Saturday mornings between now and November 19 to purchase everything from fruits and veggies to meats, breads, and other goods all grown and raised within 150 miles of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The market also holds special events like workshops, dinners and demonstrations by folks like Joe the Baker.

For those who enjoy gardening but may not have the space to do so, the Coppell Community Garden offers gorgeous raised beds right in the middle of the town center. There people can learn about organic gardening, take classes at the Biodiversity Education Center on a wide range of topics, and even donate produce to the local food pantry. We loved smelling all the flowers that are springing up there too!

Professor Brainius makes learning about science fun at ecoCoppell Earth Fest. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

Coppell is doing so much to help the environment, it is kind of overwhelming. Some high school students have built a solar car. Others, called the Ecoppellians, are producing reusable bags to cut back on plastic bag misuse. And for those who really want to get back to nature, they can visit the Coppell Nature Park to hike its numerous trails.

The great people at Coppell Parks and Recreation are doing a phenomenal job in the community, both entertaining and educating the public. They always seem to bring in great people to teach us new things too, like Professor Brainius, who obviously has a blast making science fun.

If you missed out on Earth Fest this year, stay tuned. It’s an annual event! In the meantime, you might want to jot down the next big thing, the Food Truck Frenzy which is coming to the square at Old Town Coppell on Saturday, April 23. Should be fun!

Heather found a Coppell Fire Department vehicle that is just her size at the ecoCoppell Earth Fest. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)