Earth Day at Cabot’s Pueblo Museum

The pueblo buildings have stood for more than 70 years — long before earth day existed. And Saturday the museum built to honor it hosted its first Earth Day event with substantiality in mind, with music, organic food, an art exhibit using recycling materials and displays highlighting local environmentally-friendly products.

Leaders hope the event will inspire people in Desert Hot Springs.

“We live in this great place,” said Mike Chedester, a member of the museum’s board of directors, “where everyday we see the windmills and feel the wind, so we know there’s alternative energy, it’s really important, and we want to become leaders in that.”

There’s a reason why organizers choose Cabot’s Pueblo Museum. The building stands as a monument to what Earth Day is all about. Cabot Yerxa built the pueblos using recycled railroad ties and telephone poles; he straightened nails and reused them; and used recycled water for the plants around the buildings.

“A bunch a small rooms…it’s very historic,” said Yvonna Cazares, who spoke at the event. “And it’s amazing how people actually did so much with so little. It speaks to the whole idea of substantiality.”

Some attendees are taking small steps, like recycling and thinking green. But when compared to Cabot, they say we have a lot more to do.

“Efforts,” said Gail Wiesmann, “yeah. As far as where we’ve gotten, no. We haven’t done that much.”

Maybe not, but it’s never too late to start.