Car Crash Stalls Garden Centerpiece at Newhart Middle School's Earth Day

Newhart Middle School is celebrating its third Earth Day Friday at 5 p.m. A new organic garden is setting this year apart.

"It is absolutely beautiful, except it has no plants in it," said Ross Chun, whose business Eco-Stride organizes environmental fairs for free across the county.

Chun said Joe Sachen, founder of Savannah's Organic Ranch in Aliso Viejo, broke his back in an Ortega Highway auto accident last Thursday. Sachen was a major contributor to the Newhart garden, and without his help the project won't have plants in time for the Friday event, Chun said.

Now the partners building the garden are shooting for a May 11 opening. Besides the plants, everything at the garden is ready, Chun said, from planters to irrigation to a new fence.

Nevertheless Earth Day will go on. Visitors can touch live sea creatures, play games, make crafts, climb a rock wall or take a virtual field trip, according to a school district statement. In addition, partners will offer a variety of exhibitions and demonstrations of science and technology.

The garden aspect of the celebration has been a long time coming, Chun said.

"Last year the concept of putting the garden in was approved but it wasn't clear how the money was going to work or how the garden would look like," he said. "Now we're finally going to see the concept come to fruition. It's really the culmination of a year and a half of work."

Proceeds from the event will benefit Newhart’s technology initiative and Laguna Pacific’s Marine Mammal Center.