Did you know the first Earth Day started as a grassroots campaign and marks the anniversary of the modern environmental movement? The first Earth Day event, held in 1970, led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and many first-of-their-kind environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act!
Today, Earth Day is an annual event observed worldwide through service projects, outdoor activities, rallies, and more to raise awareness of the importance of long-term ecological sustainability and foster appreciation for our planet.
This Earth Day, Friday, April 22nd, we invite you to discover ways to celebrate at home and in the Denver metro area.
Ways to celebrate Earth Day from home:
Clean up your neighborhood - this is a great family or solo activity allowing you to enjoy the fresh air while picking up trash and debris around your neighborhood. This can easily be incorporated into your regularly scheduled dog walk or post-dinner stroll. Be sure to bring gloves and a bag or container for collecting trash along the way. Beautify your neighborhood and create a cleaner planet for all!
Compost - food scraps and organic yard waste currently make up over 30% percent of the waste we throw away and could be composted instead. Composting keeps these materials out of landfills, where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. There are many different ways to compost at home, including creative solutions for composting in small spaces. Finished compost is a valuable soil amendment that can help garden beds and potted house plants flourish. We encourage you to research composting options in your municipality and/or learn more about starting at-home composting here.
Are you in the Denver metro area and interested in composting but don't have the space? Check out these local small businesses that can help you on your composting journey:
Denver Compost Collective: Provides a weekly compost collection service for apartment dwellers who otherwise wouldn't have access to compost.
Wompost: A woman-owned business in Aurora whose vision is to make composting, and great jobs, available to all colorado communities.
Save Water
Install a water-efficient showerhead
Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when it's full
Don't use your toilet as a trash can. A single flush to dispose of tissue might not seem like a lot, but unnecessary flushes add up.
Water your lawn in the early morning or evening to reduce water loss due to evaporation
Don't pour excess water down the drain. Instead, use it to water indoor plants or collect it for your outdoor garden
Check for leaks in your faucets and toilet - leaks account for 12% of home water use, with toilets being the primary culprit.
Plant a Tree - trees offer many environmental benefits, including providing food, homes for wildlife, improving air quality, reducing traffic noise, can lower your home's energy bill if thoughtfully placed, and much more.
Start a kitchen scrap garden - growing food from scraps is environmentally friendly, saves on your grocery bill, and is a fun, hands-on science lesson for kids and adults alike. You can learn more about scrap gardening from the Farmers Almanac here.
Celebrate Earth Day in the Denver metro area
Friday, April 22nd
The Wild Animal Sanctuary 9 am - sunset
Visitors who bring a potted tree or bush to donate to the sanctuary will receive free admission to the sanctuary walkway. Learn more about the Wild Animal Sanctuary and suggested tree and bush species for donations at www.wildearthday.org/event.
Saturday April 23rd
Aurora Earth Day Celebration 10 am - 3 pm
Enjoy Earth Day at Aurora Reservoir by participating in guided nature hikes, bird walks, planting in the native plant garden, enjoying special presentations of LIVE raptors by HawkQuest, nature crafts, and more! Admission to the reservoir is free for Earth Day Celebration visitors.
Lakewood Earth Day Celebration 10 am - 6 pm
The annual free festival at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park is back! Enjoy music, food trucks, art, exhibits, and activities that help find ways to reduce your ecological footprints. Kids, adults, and pets alike are invited to dress up and join the first-ever Parade of Species, a celebration of all of the animal species with whom we share the earth.
Longmont Earth Day Celebration 10 am - 3 pm
Join a Sustainable, Resilient Longmont at the Longmont Museum for a full day of family-friendly fun, including a concert by Jeff & Paige, over 20 environmental education booths, composting demos, and more!
Annual Earth Day Cherry Creek Clean Up 9 am - 12 pm
Celebrate Earth Day by getting outside and volunteering with LoDo Cares! Meet other LoDo community members and beautify our waterway, community playground, and public gardens. Light breakfast will be provided, along with refreshments and music to keep you moving! Learn more and register here.
Earth Day Environmental Fair 10 am - 12 pm
Stop by the Smoky Hill Library in Centennial and chat with a variety of local experts about sustainability and recycling at this outdoor open-house style fair. Leave with a wealth of information on how to be earth-friendly and reduce your carbon footprint. Take a spin on an electric bike and see what all the organizations have to offer. For families of all ages. Learn more and register here.
Sunday April 24th
THRIFTCON DNVR 10 am - 5 pm
Celebrate sustainability in fashion at the first-ever traveling vintage clothing and collectible convention. This event features 100+ vendors, as well as multiple activations and installations celebrating vintage and retro culture. Learn more and purchase tickets here.
Sources:
https://www.earthday.org/history/
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home