It will be an environmentally friendly Saturday in Crescenta Valley

Saturday begins at Two Strike Park with the Arbor Day celebration, the original “go green” event.

Then drop off e-waste at the temporary recycling center at Two Strike Park. Many items like computers contain potentially hazardous ingredients and cannot be thrown away in regular trash bins. It is bad for the environment and it is illegal.

And then drop off unwanted or outdated prescription drugs during Saturday’s DEA Drug Drop Off event at four locations in the area. Keep these dangerous drugs out of the hands of children, and protect the environment by disposing them in garbage bins or flushing them into the sewer system.

Arbor Day at Two Strike Park

Supervisor Michael Antonovich in conjunction with the Crescenta Valley Town Council and Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation will be hosting the Annual Arbor Day Ceremony at Two Strike Park on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.

Arbor Day was inspired by J. Sterling Morton a pioneer who moved from Detroit to the Nebraska Territory in 1854. Through his writings he inspired community organizations and individuals to plant trees in their communities. 

Arbor Day has become a reminder that society needs to respect the Earth and through volunteerism communities can grow.

Each year Supervisor Antonovich, CVTC and parks and recreation honor an individual or organization of the community by planting a tree in their name. This year the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will be honored with a tree planted near the proposed Two Strike Park Veterans Memorial Wall.

The event will have arts and crafts activities for kids and local merchants and organizations will give away plants. There will be a raffle for trees and plants, and information booths supporting the Arbor Day theme.

The community is invited to stop by and share a cup of coffee donated by Starbucks, enjoy a piece of traditional Arbor Day cake donated by Ralphs market and breath the fresh air supplied by the nearby plants and trees.

Here are a few interesting facts from the www.arborday.org:

“One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.” —U.S. Department of Agriculture

“There are about 60– to 200-million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO² every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.” —National Wildlife Federation

  “The planting of trees means improved water quality, resulting in less runoff and erosion. This allows more recharging of the ground water supply. Wooded areas help prevent the transport of sediment and chemicals into streams.” —USDA Forest Service

“In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.” —Dr. Roger S. Ulrich Texas A&M University

“The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.” —U.S. Department of Agriculture

E-Waste Fundraiser at Two Strike Park

New technology moves so fast that many don’t have time to drive down to a recycling center to get rid of those old printers and computers. It is easier to put them aside and promise yourself you will get to it later.

Well “later” has arrived. Luckily for residents of Crescenta Valley, SoCal Recycling Industries will be providing e-waste recycling service at Two Strike Park on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The proceeds will benefit the Two Strike Park Veterans Memorial Wall. Any type of electronics including computers, televisions, printers and stereos can be dropped off at the park’s parking lot.

Two Strike Park is located at 5107 Rosemont Avenue.

Drug Take Back

And while residents are cleaning out their garages and storage sheds of old electronics, the cleaning can continue to the medicine cabinet of unwanted or outdated drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take Back program will be held in the area this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The prescription drugs that are commonly abused in the United States fall into several broad categories: opioids/narcotics/pain relievers, depressants, and stimulants. Individuals abuse these drugs because they are an easily accessible and inexpensive means of altering a user’s mental and physical state; the effects vary depending upon the drugs they abuse,” according to the Department of Justice website.

“Individuals of all ages abuse prescription drugs—data reported in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse indicate that an estimated 36 million U.S. residents aged 12 and older abused prescription drugs at least once in their lifetime. The survey also revealed that millions of teenagers and young adults abuse prescription drugs—2.7 million individuals aged 12 to 17 and 6.9 million individuals aged 18 to 25 abused prescription drugs at least once. Prescription drug abuse among high school students is a particular concern. According to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Survey, more than 10 percent of high school seniors in the United States abused narcotics (other than heroin) at least once in their lifetime. Nearly 17 percent abused amphetamines (a type of stimulant), 10 percent abused barbiturates, and 11 percent abused tranquilizers at least once,” DOJ stated.

The event is locally sponsored by the Crescenta Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition. Each booth will be manned by a DEA agent, as well as representatives from local law enforcement and members of the Coalition.

Any prescription drug will be accepted from individuals, not from local pharmacies or doctors. Hypodermic needles will not be accepted at the temporary locations.

The drug drop-off areas for Saturday are:

 CVS Pharmacies in Montrose at 2037 Verdugo Blvd. (next to Vons market) and Tujunga at 6599 Foothill Blvd. (near McDonalds and IHOP).

Rite-Aid Pharmacies in La Crescenta at 2647 West Foothill Boulevard and in La Cañada at 647 Foothill Boulevard.