'Sense of Place' is theme of local Earth Day activities

"A Sense of Place: Nature, Culture and Story" will be the subject of an Earth Day Forum on Tuesday, April 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper St. in Palo Alto. A "Walk through Time" begins at 6 p.m.

Malcolm Margolin, author of "The Ohlone Way," will describe the Ohlone Indians, and how they managed to live in the Bay Area for more than 1,000 years. He will be joined by environmental activist Olive Mayer of Woodside, and Joe Kresse from the Foundation for a Global Community.

This is one of many events throughout April that will culminate on Earth Day, April 22, and the following weekend. The theme of this year's Earth Day is "A Sense of Place: Bringing Earth Day Home."

"This encourages each one of us to cultivate a different perspective on our history, presence and future as it relates to the environment," says Cindy Russell of Portola Valley. "The threats we face require a personal commitment and a sense of connection to the natural world."

Other activities include local "Green Teams," which are forming to share ideas about how to live more lightly on the earth and foster a sense of community.

Our Farm in Woodside will sponsor an ecological farm tour with Farmer Dave on Saturday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

People with more energy can help plant spring crops at a work day Sunday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Our Farm Community Supported Agriculture Project at 834 West California Way. For information call 365-2993.

For information on Green Teams and other Earth Day activities, call Bay Area Action at 321-1996.