Activities Include Compost Workshops, Blind Water Tastings, Coloring Stations and Recycling-Themed Lawn Games
“We Are Essential,” a community festival focusing on water conservation and education about zero waste and organic recycling, will launch National Public Works Week on May 19.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gandara Park, situated at 1819 Stewart St. in the Pico Neighborhood, adjacent to the City Yards, the central hub for essential public works services.
This festival, part of a two-year artist-in-residency project with Debra Scacco, explores themes of ecological sustainability and justice, municipal maintenance, and the vital role of public works essential workers within the community.
Attendees can partake in various activities, including compost workshops, blind water tastings, live performances by the Santa Monica Youth Orchestra and SOL-LA Music Academy, coloring stations, seed and compost giveaways, close-up photo opportunities with city utility vehicles, recycling-themed lawn games, vocal performances by Sharon Chohi Kim, readings by Santa Monica Poet Laureate Anne Carmack, and a participatory truck activation by artist Tanya Aguiñiga.
The festival is just one part of Santa Monica’s celebration of National Public Works Week, running through May 25, which aims to honor essential workers and highlight the crucial role of public works in daily life.
For more information about public works, go to https://www.santamonica.gov/departments/public-works.
