Summerlin to host Earthfaire

Summerlin will hold its Earth Day celebration April 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Summerlin Centre Community Park, 1800 S. Town Center Drive, between West Sahara Avenue and West Charleston Boulevard.

Summerlin Earthfaire is a free outdoor festival that will include a full schedule of musical entertainment, a trick dog show by CoolDog Productions, environmental exhibits and displays from more than 50 local and regional environmental groups, environmental art and learning activities for children and pet adoption.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Participating environmental groups will provide information about their respective organizations as well as tips on recycling, energy-savings and interactive environmental education.

This is the fourth consecutive year, the master-planned community, its home builders and major sponsors, including Republic Services, Embarq, KTNV TV-13, The News, Las Vegas Review-Journal, KSTJ Star 102.7 and Station Casinos, will host the more than 50 environmental groups that have signed up to participate, according to Nikki Liesse, director of marketing for The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin and event organizer.

"Summerlin Earthfaire continues to grow in popularity every year and has doubled in size from the first event in 2004. We are extremely pleased that so many groups are interested in helping us mark and celebrate Earth Day in Southern Nevada."

Among those groups participating are the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, Conservation District of Southern Nevada, Friends of Red Rock Canyon, city of Las Vegas Environmental Division and Nellis Air Force Base Environmental Management Office.

The Tortoise Group, Outside Las Vegas, Southern Nevada Water Authority, The Nature Conservancy, The Sierra Club, National Wild Horse Association and Nevada Rock Art Foundation are also included among participating groups and organizations.

The U.S. Green Building Council is yet another exhibitor, its mission is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated in an effort to create a healthier environment and lifestyle.

According to Pamela Vilikin, president of the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, the local organization which was founded in 2002, is working with developers on notable projects throughout the valley, including the Springs Preserve, The Molasky Corporate Center, Regional Animal Campus and Project CityCenter.

"Green building is a practice whose time has come and more and more local builders and developers are incorporating sustainable building practices into their developments," Vilikin said. "We're pleased with the progress this movement is making here in Southern Nevada."

Fun and community conscious activities will include Lou "Mack" McCammon's trick dog show, science- and environmentally oriented activities for kids by Mad Science and a demonstration by The UNLV Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, to show children and their parents how to properly plant flowers in the desert.

Roz Knight from City of the World will help children create art from recycled materials; the Lied Animal Shelter will have pets for adoption; the National Wild Horse Association will provide information on how the public can help protect wild, free-roaming horses; and musical entertainment will be provided by Shawn Eiferman.

"Summerlin has a long-standing history as an environmentally friendly community that began even before development commenced here," said Tom Warden, vice president of government and community relations for The Howard Hughes Corp.

In 1987, three years before development began, Hughes made its first land exchange with the Bureau of Land Management to preserve and protect the area around Red Rock Canyon.

This land swap contributed to the creation of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area as it exists today, according to Warden.

A second land exchange in 2002 added an additional 1,000-plus acres of sensitive high ground to the Conservation Area and set aside more than 1,200 acres for a future county trails park.

"We feel a responsibility to help promote Earth-friendly messages and are excited about the popularity of this event," said Liesse. "We invite the entire valley to join us in celebrating Earth Day and to learn more about how we can all be better citizens of the environment."

Developed by The Howard Hughes Corp., an affiliate of General Growth Properties Inc., Summerlin began to take shape in 1990. According to the developer, by 1992 the community was ranked as the country's best-selling master-planned community.

Summerlin is a 22,500-acre master-planned community located along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley.

The community features an unparalleled number of amenities and is currently home to more than 95,000 residents.

With as many as 7,500 acres still to develop, including its urban core, Summerlin Centre, the community is home to more than 100 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of the Summerlin trail system, 19 public and private schools, houses of worship, medical, cultural and shopping facilities, business parks and more than 80 model homes.

Single-family homes to townhomes, condominiums and lofts are available. Prices range from the low $200,000s to more than $1 million. Custom home sites in The Ridges are priced from the $500,000s. Luxury apartment homes offer monthly rents starting from the low $1,000s. For more information on Summerlin, call 791-4500 or visit summerlin.com.