April 17, 2013 / Modified apr 17, 2013 5:23 p.m.

Focusing on Planet Earth

Biosphere 2, annual Earth Day raising awareness

Earth Day 2013 activities will be abundant in Tucson and Southern Arizona Sunday and Monday.

The actual Earth Day is Monday, but many activities in the region will be held Sunday, including exhibits at Biosphere 2 north of Tucson and the Earth Day Festival at Reid Park.

At Biosphere 2, scientists will display information about research projects on deserts and jungles, along with myriad other scientific experimentation and topics.

Tucson's annual Earth Day Festival is also a good choice. The event is providing exhibits, lectures, artistic performances and other attractions for visitors.

One is The Water Festival, organized by Tucson Arts Brigade, a community arts organization that uses arts and dialogue to address different topics issues such as sustainability and ecology.

Jodi Netzer, director of the water festival, says a goal is to raise awareness about water as a valuable resource.

"We have a three-mile walk for water that's actually from 8 to 9 that symbolizes the distance that women from indigenous countries need to walk to provide water for their families," Netzer says.

And she says this topic is especially relevant to people who live in the desert southwest, where water scarcity is only expected to get worse for future generations.

"There is a large percentage of people on this planet who do not have access to clean drinking water. And even in developed nations there are issues of water quality, with the environmental destruction that happens and also distribution or privatization of water," Netzer adds.

Tucson's Earth Day Festival 2013 is being held Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Reid Park.

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