Earth Month 2022 is a great time to learn about the ways in which you and your family can take care of our Earth. This month there are events all over the DC metro area that teach us how to connect with nature, consider the impact of all that we do and to leave a smaller footprint on our precious planet.
Outdoor Family Storytime at Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library
April 14th @ 11.00am in Montgomery County, MD
Break out your blankets for outdoor storytime! This family storytime will feature books, songs and rhymes that promote early literacy skills. Please bring a blanket, towel or lawn chair to sit on. Outdoor storytime is weather permitting, so please check the storytime status if it is raining.
50th Anniversary Of The Mt. Vernon Trail
April 16th @ 10:00am – 1:00pm in Alexandria, VA
Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mt. Vernon Trail! This event is in partnership with Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA), Walk/Bike Arlington, and East Coast Greenway. There will be a short ceremony focused on volunteerism and partnership with the National Park Service, a scavenger hunt for kids, and giveaways from the City.
#BLOOMCAM and Bloom Watch with the National Cherry Blossom Festival
Through April 17th in Washington, DC
#BloomCam, brought to you by the Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the National Park Service and Earthcam, is a 24/7, live, real-time view of the cherry trees lining the Tidal Basin, one of the most popular and iconic sites in Washington, DC. Positioned on the roof of the Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC, #BloomCam offers year-round views of the cherry trees and their seasonal changes to viewers worldwide and is highlighted on the Festival page during Bloom Watch as we await the peak blooms.
Reduce and Reuse – Sustainability Made Simple Workshop
April 21st @ 7:00pm – 8:00pm (Virtual) in Alexandria, VA
Reducing and reusing is one of the first steps toward living a more sustainable lifestyle. Investing time into reducing your household waste can profoundly impact the environment and your community. Staff from the Resource Recovery Division of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services will provide a few easy recommendations to help you shop package free and reduce your household packaging and plastic waste. This is a live, virtual event held in partnership with Alexandria Library.
Earth Days @ FUTURES: A Sustainability Celebration at the Arts and Industries Building (AIB)
April 22nd – 24th in Washington, DC
Kicking off on Earth Day proper, AIB will host a special Fridays@Futures from 5:30–7 PM that celebrates all things sustainable. Visitors can tour the exhibition with a fun, friendly expert, and learn surprising new facts about ideas to tackle big challenges.
On Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM–4 PM, visitors can get a taste of tomorrow at the FUTURES Food Market, get moving at AIB’s energy-efficient silent disco, contribute to the community biodegradable living art wall, take VR tour all about the future of water and more! Both days, visitors will also have a chance to hear directly from leading experts and innovators who are heading up the charge to build a sustainable future for transportation and energy. All ages welcome!
Earth Day at Monocacy Battlefield
April 22nd & 23rd @ 9:00am – 12:00pm in Frederick, MD
Join a ranger to learn how native plant gardens help the environment. Then learn how to create your own, while getting your hands dirty in the park’s native garden! Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor Center, Frederick, MD.
Living Earth Festival: Saving Sacred Spaces
April 22 through May 15th (Virtual)
(Available on demand) Living Earth is a signature annual event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Presentations explore issues impacting sacred spaces in three locations: Alaska, Hawai‘i, and Utah. The program focuses on innovations and sustainability in Indigenous communities with an emphasis on awareness and protection of sacred spaces. Includes Saving Sacred Spaces Panel Discussion—This panel focuses on sites sacred to Indigenous communities that are at risk due to environmental changes, population growth, tourism, and natural resource extraction. Also Living Earth Film Series—Four films will be screened.
Earth Day Springhouse Run Volunteer Day
April 23rd @ 10:00am in Washington, DC
Join us for a volunteer day on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum! Help keep the restored Springhouse Run stream healthy by pulling invasive vines and weeds. This event is hosted by Friends of the National Arboretum in partnership with U.S. National Arboretum staff. No experience necessary. You must be 16 or older for this event. U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC.
GreenFest
April 23rd @ 11 am – 5 pm in Montgomery County, MD
GreenFest is the premier environmental festival in Montgomery County, MD. A free event, GreenFest is a chance for residents, businesses, nonprofits, and neighbors, to come together, share ideas and learn. Plus GreenFest has tons of fun activities for the whole family. Brookside Gardens.
Earth Day Celebration at the Brookland Arts Walk
April 23rd @ 10:00am – 4:00pm in Washington, DC
Join us for a celebration of Earth Day on the Arts Walk! We’ll have DIY crafting stations, swaps, shopping from local sustainable artists and makers, and local organizations dedicated to sustainability joining us. Brookland Arts Walk, Washington, DC.
City Council Tree Planting and 2022 Earth Day Proclamation Reading
April 23rd @ 8:30am – 9:30am in Alexandria, VA
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, known as “the tree planter’s holiday.” Join members of the Alexandria City Council as they celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree in Old Town, near City Hall. (This short event will take place before the April 23 City Council public meeting).
Outdoor Dance Party with Mr. Jon & Friends in the Rockville Town Square Plaza
April 23rd @ 10:30am in Rockville, MD
Come have a Dance Party with Parents’ Choice Award winner Mr. Jon and his silly friend George the Monkey. Mr. Jon will have the kids up and dancing for a fun interactive concert for the whole family. You won’t want to miss all of the musical fun!
Drive-Thru Recycling Event
April 23rd @ 9:00am – 12:00pm, McLean Community Center
This drive-through, outdoor, environmental action event provides a convenient way for McLean residents to better the planet. Several local community businesses and organizations will provide four key facets of environmental health in the spirit of shredding, reusing, recycling and planting. Please note: Only household/residential items may be donated. We are unable to accept any items from a business/organization.
32nd Annual Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival
April 23rd & 24th @ 9:00am – 5:00pm in Leesburg, VA
This annual event heralds the coming of spring and features more than 140 vendors on the streets of historic downtown Leesburg, VA. Amazing landscape displays, plant material, annuals, perennials, tools, furniture, garden décor and so much more is on hand at this event. Stroll the streets and enjoy great festival food, live kids entertainment and craft area, a beer garden and great music on our main stage. Whether you are a novice or a regular green thumb, this festival has something for everyone. Downtown Leesburg, Leesburg, VA.
Chalk the Walk all Weekend at the Long Branch Library
April 29th – 30th @ 4:00pm – 5:00pm in Montgomery County, MD
Celebrate Spring by helping to liven up the Long Branch sidewalk with chalk! A different theme will be featured each day. On Friday, bring your math skills and do some fun (really!) sidewalk math activities. For Saturday, draw and color your way along our walk. And on Sunday, freestyle art will allow your creativity and imagination to shine.
City Nature Challenge
April 29th – May 2nd
Participate in community science, by photographing and sharing on the iNaturalist app, April 29 to May 2. Help identify nature species May 3 to May 8. Montgomery Parks is participating in the City Nature Challenge and we want you to participate with us! Cities around the world will be competing to see who can make the most observations of nature, find the most species, and engage the most people. Join us to find out just how easy it is to participate, including how to use the iNaturalist app to submit your observations.
Foolish Fools and Tricky Tricksters, by Storyteller Diane Macklin in the Rockville Town Square Plaza
April 30th @ 2:00pm in Montgomery County, MD
Salutes the clever ways of some and the silly ways of others. New Story: How Wisdom is Spread All over the World (Anansi story). Break out your blankets and camp chairs for this OUTDOOR program with storyteller Diane Macklin! Please bring your own blankets, camp chairs, or lawn chairs to sit on. Outdoor storytime is weather permitting, so please check the storytime status if it is raining.
Stormwater Day at the Park
April 30th @ 9:00am – 12:00pm in Alexandria, VA
Learn how the City monitors water quality and manages stormwater runoff by visiting the Stormwater Management Division to close out our Earth Day celebration. We’ll have activities, including making your own rain gauge (bring an empty 2-liter bottle!), games for kids, interactive selfie station, tours of stormwater management practices at Ben Brenman pond, and a rain barrel giveaway. Experts will be on hand to discuss flood mitigation practices you can take on your property.
Fun Forever Flower Kits
Through April 30th @ All Day in Waldorf, MD
Stop in Waldorf West Branch to pick up a free Fun Forever Flower kit. Materials will be available in the children’s department. Waldorf West Branch, La Plata, MD.
Fairfax County Watershed Cleanup
Through April 30th @ Various Fairfax County Parks Locations
TNC is once again partnering with the Fairfax County Park Authority in Northern Virginia for a watershed cleanup. This spring cleaning event will remove tires, plastic bottles, cans and other debris from local waterways, preventing trash from reaching the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay.
City of Gaithersburg Green Month
Through April 30th @ Multiple Gaithersburg Locations
The City invites you to participate in activities that celebrate & improve the environment during Gaithersburg Green Month in April. In addition to being fun & educational, it is also a great way for students to earn service learning credits while making our community a better place to live.
Related
30 Easy Ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Celebrate Earth Day and Restore our Earth
6 Springtime Walks for the Family
