Pedro Tudela, David Combs and their CNMI Forestry coworkers conduct a public outreach at the Earth Day Mini Night Market.
The Earth Day Mini Night Market was held at the Saipan and Northern Islands Memorial Kiosku in Chalan Kanoa on April 22.
EVENT organizers Local Girls Marianas, small businesses and community partners gathered at the Saipan and Northern Islands Memorial Kiosku in Chalan Kanoa for an Earth Day-themed Mini Night Market on Monday, April 22.
The event was an opportunity to provide a “cozy” market experience that also celebrated eco-friendly themes, according to Local Girls Marianas’ Tiara Deleon Guerrero and Ashley Pangelinan.
They encouraged vendors to feature sustainable packaging, among other environmentally friendly practices.
Aside from business vendors, the Mini Night Market also featured various community partners like the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, and NMC-Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services.
Pedro Tudela, a forestry tech III with CNMI Forestry, and coworker David Combs conducted a public outreach. He encouraged the public “to plant more trees.”
“If you don’t have the right seedlings, come to CNMI Forestry and we’ll help you with erosion, beautification, or if you want to plant something for your house,” he said. “I encourage the people out in the community if you see a newly planted tree don’t hurt it. Take care of it the way we take care of it in the nursery.”
Miss Northern Marianas Earth 2023 Jan Cruz, the event’s emcee, encouraged the community to not just “reduce, reuse, and recycle,” but to also “repair, rethink, and refuse” certain items or behaviors in order to be ecologically sustainable.
“There are many rewards [to sustainability] such as having more clean air, a cleaner, more beautiful environment,” she said. “Especially here in the Marianas we’re known for our beautiful beaches. If we keep our environment clean it’s a good look for us and everyone who comes here.”
Jess Eberhardt, who operates Will and Eb’s Tropic Threads with business partner Jessica Williams, said thrifting clothes fits into the “reuse” category of sustainability.
“When we buy clothes from the community that are still in good condition we can put them back into circulation instead of tossing them and bringing something new onto island,” Eberhardt said. “It’s a really good way to keep it a closed circle instead of bringing in new things that we just don’t need.”
In his remarks to the crowd, Jude Litulumar, a Micronesia Challenge Young Champion, said ecologically sustainable practices impact the future.
“The actions we take today are not just for ourselves but for the generations that will come after,” he said. “The movement toward a greener future isn’t confined to just one sector either and many agencies are now conscious of their actions and are actively seeking ways to contribute to making our islands a place where our youth can thrive.”
Miss Northern Marianas Earth 2023 Jan Cruz, left, and Miss Northern Marianas Air 2021 Sue Ann Huevos.
Jess Eberhardt, left, and Jessica Williams co-own Will and Eb’s Tropic Threads, a thrift shop which helps reuse clothes and reduce the number of new products purchased.
