With Earth Day coming up on April 22, Quiet Waters Park is making sure locals know the importance of protecting the environment.

On Saturday the park hosted an Earth Day festival, which featured environmental vendors, a 5K race and walk and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Reading and Butterfly Garden and Watershed Education Experience, a new park attraction.

Malcolm Doying and Jeanne Paglee of the University of Maryland Extension provided demonstrations on composting.

"Composting is saving the earth, community and neighborhood," Doyle said. "It's working with nature rather than against it."

Representatives from Quiet Waters Park also hosted a booth showcasing the dangers of invasive plant species.

"They get overgrown and take up much needed nutrients from native species," said Joyce Riley-Greene, a park horticulturist.

Nicole Thompson and her son Colt Thompson stopped by the Quiet Waters booth to learn about plants.

"It's absolutely important that people are more conscious about their effects on the environment," Thompson said.

Ed Minarch and Katie Bacon came to the festival to check out the Revolution Kids bike sale.

Revolution Kids is a program hosted by the Box of Rain organization that teaches at-risk youth bike repairs skills.

"We really try to be environmentally aware," Bacon said. "Our household only puts out about one bag of trash a week."

Grant Genzman, Sabrina Reyes and Elisa Jaime, who are all students at the Naval Academy, stumbled on the festival on their way back from the SPCA. They were impressed by the event and hope to help out next year.

"I think its important that we not forget about our impact on the environment," Genzman said. "Increasing environmental awareness is absolutely necessary."

Upload your photographs of the festival by clicking on the "upload photos and videos" button under the photograph.