Celebrating Mother Earth

2025 marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, a worldwide movement begun to bring attention to environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and preserving natural ecosystems. It’s the 15th year Washington Health (WH) has partnered with the City of Fremont to raise awareness of these important issues in its annual Earth Day Fair. Joined this year by Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont (LEAF), the 2025 celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the Fremont Downtown Event Center and Plaza.

Community Focus

“The Earth Day Fair will focus on sustainability, good environmental stewardship and our impact on the environment, with indoor and outdoor exhibits, eco-friendly experts and practical tips for a ‘greener’ lifestyle,” shared WH Community Outreach Manager Kayla Gupta. “To support those goals, Washington Health will offer a number of activities and education to help community members become more eco-conscious.”

Gupta said while her department participates in a variety of community engagement programs during the year, Earth Day is one of her favorites because it includes working with community partners to provide services and education to promote a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future.

“As in the past, Washington Health will provide document shredding in partnership with Corodata and medication take-back in conjunction with Inmar Intelligence and Alameda County,” Gupta said. “We will also accept sharps (needles and syringes in approved containers) so community members can safely dispose of these items.

We want to make ‘going green’ as easy for our community as possible,” she continued. “We want to make sure medical waste is disposed of correctly so it doesn’t cause harm. We don’t want these items, which are potentially very dangerous, to end up in a landfill. This is an important step in promoting environmental sustainability and being conscious of how our actions impact the environment.”

Food for Thought

WH Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Director Matthew Sciamanna, RD, will also be back for this year’s festivities, bringing information on local product sourcing and sustainability. Sciamanna said he will host a booth to share information about waste reduction, healthy eating and ways his department works to give back to the community.

“Washington Health has a long, active history of community involvement, not only in providing health care, but also as a leader in observing sustainable food production and taking care of our environment,” Sciamanna said. “We take our responsibility to our community very seriously, which is why we try to purchase our food from local sources, such as livestock from the 4H youth at the county fair, as much as possible.”

He noted his department has been working to streamline both their production and waste management. “We’ve started a new program capturing and recycling plastics,” Sciamanna explained. “This could be anything from an apple juice container or a plastic container for produce. We’ve developed training for all FNS staff to identify which containers are recyclable, and we’re keeping these items out of the landfill.”

Sciamanna said FNS has also cut down on food waste by using more strategic buying strategies, noting the department has a duty to think about the flow of food it purchases, prepares and distributes.

“Part of our role as a team that prepares food for the public and for patients is thinking about the whole process in a linear fashion,” he said. “From the moment we procure it, we’re thinking of conservation. We work to ensure we are keeping tight controls on what we’re ordering, making sure we’re not ordering too much and causing additional waste. Then we work to not overproduce once we get products. After production, we’re in the capture phase, where we gather items up that might have been overproduced.”

In the last year, WH has donated 7,500 pounds of excess food to Union City-based Daily Bowl, a nonprofit organization that recovers surplus edible fresh and prepared food destined for waste. They immediately distribute that food to receiving agencies who serve the hungry and vulnerable in Alameda County. The hospital has also donated shelf-stable supplies to disaster relief agencies that in the past would have been thrown away.

Family Eco-Tainment

While the commitment WH and the City of Fremont have toward a more sustainable future will continue long after the celebration ends, they’ve made sure the 55th anniversary Earth Day celebration includes something for everyone.

“In addition to document shredding, medication and sharps drop-off, community members can drop off prescription eyeglasses and bring in old mercury thermometers to exchange,” Gupta said. “Our FNS department will share tips on healthy eating and waste reduction, and other booths will have information on clean water and reducing energy use.

“There will also be entertainment, music, games and art activities,” she added. “This is a day to celebrate the resources we have here in Fremont and learn more about what all of us can do to help our environment.”

To learn more about Washington Health, go to washingtonhealth.com/about-us/community-connection/. To find out more about the annual Earth Day Fair, visit fremont.gov/government/departments/environmental-services/events/earth-day#.