We’re finalizing the details for AFFEW’s Earth Day Celebration!
Saturday, April 22 | 11 am-4:00 pm (Doors open at 10 am)
United Methodist Church of Ludington | 5810 E Bryant Rd
AFFEW is excited to share a variety of in-person presentations during our Earth Day Celebration! The theme for 2023 is Invest in our Planet. This all day event will include many topics of interest including an interactive Snakes Alive show featuring Michigan native snakes presented by Jim McGrath. In addition we’re excited to have Dave Dempsey, environmental author who has helped shape conservation and Great Lakes policy for 30 years! Plus representatives from NCCISIMA and Mason-Lake Conservation District will speak about invasive species and their effect on native plants. We’ll have many organizations and groups represented at the information booths. This is also your opportunity to take a tour of U Dig It Community Garden and a guided hike with Dave Dister!
Keynote Speaker: A conversation about Environmental Protection in Michigan with author Dave Dempsey and special guest, Lois DeBacker
Join Dave Dempsey, prolific author about Michigan’s environment and environmental leadership and his guest Lois DeBacker, managing director of The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program, for a conversation about Michigan’s environmental history and current conditions. Dave has helped shape conservation and Great Lakes policy for 30 years and is an author and co-author of six conservation books. As a leader within the Kresge Foundation, Lois focuses on helping communities build resilience in the face of climate change while attending to racial justice. An informal conversation between Dave and Lois (moderated by AFFEW Board member Sharon Edgar) as they talk about their professional and personal history in environmental protection with a focus on the Great Lakes, climate change and Michigan’s history as a (former) environmental leader.
Dave, Lois and Sharon met when Dave was serving as Michigan Governor Blanchard’s environmental advisor in the late 1980s.
Dave Dempsey has helped shape conservation and Great Lakes policy for 30 years and is an author and co-author of six conservation books. He is currently a policy advisor for FLOW, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting Great Lakes waters using the public trust doctrine. Dave served as Environmental Advisor to Michigan Governor James J. Blanchard (1983-89). He has served in leadership and policy positions with the Michigan Council on Environmental Quality, Michigan Office, Clean Water Action, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Conservation Minnesota and the International Joint Commission Dave has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan. Learn more about Dave Dempsey and his publications, visit his website.
Lois DeBacker serves as managing director of The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program, which focuses on helping communities build resilience in the face of climate change while attending to social justice. She joined the foundation in February 2008. Lois’s experience includes more than 16 years at the C. S. Mott Foundation and 10 years in Michigan state government in both policy-development and program-management capacities. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She lives in Birmingham, Michigan.
Sharon Edgar is retired from 32 years of state government service in Michigan and Ohio, 18 of those years at the upper management level. She worked in the areas of transportation and natural resources management. She is a Ludington resident and member of the AFFEW Board of Directors.
Our friends at Ludington Bay Brewing Company are working with Valley City Electronic Recycling and AFFEW Friends for the Environment in effort to keep lithium batteries out of landfills!
During the month of April, Ludington Bay Brewing Company will be collecting old cell phones and laptops. Receive a token voucher for each item you bring in!
The U Dig It Community Garden is a membership based organic garden that was established in 2010. We’re located behind the United Methodist Church of Ludington. Garden boxes are provided for personal use in a organic and sustainable environment. We depend on our members to volunteer by maintaining the garden boxes, grounds and equipment. 
addition we’ll host the Dig It! Youth Summer Series for 7-11 year olds. This is an interactive program run by AFFEW and MSU that grows, tastes and donates produce to our community. They also learn and experience a variety of aspects about nature, birds and our environment.
Sustainable Investing: A socially conscious approach. Are you interested in investing your money in a socially conscious way? ESG investing incorporates environmental, social and governance considerations along with traditional financial measures. Learn how one may choose to incorporate sustainable investing into their financial goals.
Michigan while they swim in pools at your feet! Learn to identify them while also learning the specific range and habitat requirements of each. In the presentation, Michigan Turtles in Trouble, learn about Michigan’s four rare, state-protected species. Then learn the four greatest threats to turtle survival, and what you can do to help them thrive in your yard, in your neighborhood and beyond. 
Marie Marfia is an artist who likes painting skeletons, portraits and landscapes. She works in soft pastels as well as other mediums. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kendall College of Art & Design, Marie worked the next 30 years as a graphic designer. In 2011, she discovered pastels and promptly fell in love with the medium. Now she paints nearly every day. She currently lives in the Ludington area with her husband and two lucky dogs. Her studio is located in front of her house, and she’s there most weekdays. Learn more on her 
National Forest and conducted a vascular plant survey of the 5,400-acre Ludington State Park. His expertise in field ornithology includes identification of Great Lakes breeding bird species by songs and call notes. Dave is the compiler for the Ludington Christmas Bird Count as well as the Mason County Migration Count. In 2012, he took over an annual Breeding Bird Survey Route for the US Fish & Wildlife Service that runs 25 miles through parts of Mason, Lake, and Newaygo Counties. Dave is a published author including his 2020 book 
problems. Composting worms rescue organic waste from landfills, safely sequester carbon, and regenerate the soil that forms the basis of our food system. Compared to conventional fertilizers, worm castings are safer for humans and the environment. Most importantly, worm castings offer practical benefits for farmers and growers, such as slow-release nutrients, disease resistance, and enhanced water retention. 
Enjoy some musical fun with the String-a-Longs, a local ukulele group out of Ludington & Pentwater. They will perform songs celebrating our wonderful world and welcome young and old to sing and play along with this energetic group. Musical instruments will be available.
This presentation will detail what a “Green” burial mean and how it differs from a traditional burial. It will also cover the difference in cost from a traditional burial and how to arrange a green burial. Learn what green burial options are currently available in Ludington and how to make the necessary arrangements.
field. This session will also focus on what’s needed to move forward with solar energy for your home and the costs involved.
This session will focus on organic gardening and the benefits of composting. Learn how to turn everyday food scraps (non-meat) into a rich soil for your garden. Introducing this “black gold” into your soil will help produce higher yields for your gardening season. Composting is an economical way to enrich your soil while reducing the amount of kitchen waste in landfills. A win-win for you and our planet!