{"id":169687,"date":"2026-04-18T22:59:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T22:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/169687\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T22:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T22:59:24","slug":"city-park-event-highlights-environmental-rights-and-community-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/169687\/","title":{"rendered":"City Park event highlights environmental rights and community action"},"content":{"rendered":"

The preservation of natural resources isn\u2019t just an ideal in Pennsylvania, it\u2019s written into the state constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have a right to clean air, pure water and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment,\u201d City Sustainability Manager Bethany Ayers-Fisher said, quoting the document.<\/p>\n

Adopted in 1971, what is\u00a0known as the Environmental Rights Amendment also establishes public natural resources as common property and mandates the commonwealth to conserve them.<\/p>\n

But the stewardship of those resources does not just fall to the government but to residents as well, Ayers-Fisher said.<\/p>\n

That message set the tone for Reading\u2019s 2026 Earth Day celebration Saturday in City Park.<\/p>\n

The annual event, hosted by the city and the nonprofit Earth Day Berks County, blended environmental education and entertainment for all ages.<\/p>\n

Now in its 36th year, the celebration in the park has grown into one of the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania, organizers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event just gets larger and larger every year,\u201d Ayers-Fisher said.<\/p>\n

Activities began Saturday morning as volunteers from Alvernia University cleared storm drains as part of the Reading Great American Cleanup.<\/p>\n

\"Staff<\/p>\n

Afternoon festivities in the park got underway with a mayoral proclamation and the planting of a swamp white oak, a tree native to Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese trees live for about 300 years,\u201d Ayers-Fisher said, describing the oak as a long-term investment in the park\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\"Stoney'sStoney\u2019s Boys, a drum circle composed of members of the Lenape, Taino and other Native American Nations, performed Saturday at Reading\u2019s Earth Day event in City Park.
\n(MICHELLE LYNCH \u2013 READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Before the tree was set into the ground, Barry Lee, a local Munsee Lenape Native American artist and musician, offered a blessing.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Pennsylvania founder William Penn\u2019s agreement with the Lenape and other native nations to live in peace and steward the land, Lee connected the moment to a deeper sense of place and responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at this land,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a gift from Kishelemukong, the one that creates the thoughts,\u201d he said, referring to the supreme being, who in the Lenape tradition is responsible for the creation of the world and all life within it. \u201cWe do not own this. It is a gift and is to be shared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JingleJingle dress dancer Taina Acevedo of Lansford, Carbon County, leads the Stoney\u2019s Boys Dancers during Earth Day events in City Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

City officials echoed that sense of shared responsibility throughout the program.<\/p>\n

Councilman O. Christopher Miller, speaking on behalf of City Council, called Earth Day a global call to action to protect the planet from climate change, pollution and deforestation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to remember how important it is and what Earth Day means every day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"MarciaMarcia Rowe displays an Earth Day logo she designed for the 1996 Earth Day in City Park during Earth Day events in City Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Throughout the park, dozens of exhibitors, nonprofit groups and vendors offered information on sustainability practices, conservation and environmental initiatives. Families moved from booth to booth, stopping at wildlife displays, recycling demonstrations and hands-on activities for children.<\/p>\n

A scavenger hunt-style bingo card encouraged visitors to explore and interact with exhibitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have more of everything this year,\u201d said Risa Marmontello, a planning committee member.<\/p>\n

\"SheilaSheila Abreu, 16, a junior, sings with the Reading High Jazz Band during Earth Day events in City Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

A main stage near the park\u2019s Hill Road entrance offered live performances ranging from the Reading High School Jazz Band to folk and Motown groups. A second stage on the Walnut Street side of the park featured Native American music and storytelling, including performances by Lee and company as Spirit Wing, and musicians such as Stoney\u2019s Boys, a Native American drum circle, and the group\u2019s associated dance troupe.<\/p>\n

The event also highlighted the city\u2019s ongoing sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n

\"Reading'sReading\u2019s Sustainability Manager Bethany Ayers Fisher stands with the open \u201cfrunk,\u201d or front trunk, on the city\u2019s public work\u2019s electric Ford F-150 pickup truck during Earth Day events in City Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

A city-owned electric pickup truck powered the public address system and provided a practical demonstration of how municipal operations are shifting toward cleaner energy, Ayers Fisher noted.<\/p>\n

Visitors had a chance to tour the park\u2019s greenhouse, where recent renovations set the stage for expanded community programming, she said. Through the Seeds of Change project, she said, vegetables and native plants were grown in the greenhouse for distribution to those donating during the event to Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank.<\/p>\n

Ayers-Fisher updated attendees on the city\u2019s large-scale renewable energy projects, including solar installations at City Hall and the Public Works complex. The installations, she said, are expected to generate more than 1.8 megawatts of energy.<\/p>\n

For those interested in the park\u2019s history as a public resource, local historian Richard Polityka led guided tours, tracing its transformation from a shared pasture, military parade ground and fairground to a landscaped park and place of recreation.<\/p>\n

Organizers said the goal of the annual event is to encourage residents to take small but meaningful steps to conserve natural resources and protect the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery little bit that we do makes a huge difference for all of us,\u201d Ayers Fisher said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The preservation of natural resources isn\u2019t just an ideal in Pennsylvania, it\u2019s written into the state constitution. \u201cPeople…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,857,182,139,28,736,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-169687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-essential-reading","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}