Brighton Earth Day Festival, Crossroads Group
The Crossroads Group sponsored Earth Day on Saturday, April 26, at the Brighton Amphitheater in downtown Brighton. This year’s theme was “Our Power, Our Planet.” Several local organizations and high school student speakers joined us, demonstrating their commitment to safeguarding our planet. In addition, we celebrated the influence of Earth Day demonstrations over the last 55 years, which led to the passage of environmental laws and the development of government environmental departments.
The organizations that helped educate and celebrate by staffing booths and distributing information were: Livingston Land Conservancy, Huron Valley Audubon, Huron River Watershed Council, Friends of Highland Recreation Area, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Great Lakes Renewable Energy, Veg Michigan and Wild Birds Unlimited.
Pinckney’s Environmental Science Club and Brighton High School’s Sierra Club students gave speeches related to this year’s theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” and a Hartland High School NHS student helped staff the Crossroads Youth Tent, where children created environmentally friendly art projects. Two additional highlights were the Food Tent, where visitors could obtain free samples of delicious plant-based food and enjoy listening to a pair of musicians. Find out about upcoming events with the Crossroads Group here. https://www.sierraclub.org/michigan/crossroads/events
Oakland County March, Rally and Fair, Southeast Michigan Group
More than 350 kids and adults made and colored origami fish at Earth Day event tables run by the Climate Team of the Southeast Michigan Sierra Club Group, as part of an effort to stop the Enbridge Line 5 oil and natural gas liquids pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac and protect the Great Lakes.
The Fish for the Future campaign was created by a coalition of groups fighting Line 5 in Michigan and Wisconsin. The project seeks to set a new record for a display of origami fish, and use the fish to draw attention to the risks of the continuation of Line 5, including the Line 5 tunnel proposal.
The SEMG Climate Team brought the fish project to Earth Day events at Oakland University, the Detroit Zoo, Belle Isle and the Oakland County Earth Day Climate March, Rally and Fair in Royal Oak. This the fourth year for the Climate March, Rally and Fair, which the Sierra Club helped create and assists in running each year.
Groups, families and individuals can join in the fish campaign by making fish using the instructions on the website https://www.fishforfuture.org/, and submitting them by June 5. Find out more about the SEMG Climate Team by contacting Fred Miller at fmill0309@gmail.com.
Rain Barrels on the Riverfront is a Big Success!
We were excited to lead over 75 participants at the 2025 Rain Barrels on the Riverfront! Alongside our partners, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and MI Rain Barrel, we enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon on the Detroit River with some tunes while preparing our rain barrels for home use. Folks joined together to utilize stormwater for their homes, communities and businesses. Everyone assisted each other, sharing rain barrel tools, stories and fun. Congrats to all of the new rain barrel ambassadors we trained on Sunday. Our beloved Great Lakes thank you! Find out more about Sierra Club’s green infrastructure work in southeast Michigan by contacting Erin Johnson at erinp.johnson@sierraclub.org.
