Earth Day 2021: Ideas & Events

Even if celebrations are virtual, the earth is always here to receive you, on Earth Day and every day!

Here are some easy ways to get engaged with Earth Day, April 22, 2021.

• Walk!
  • Simply go for a walk in your neighborhood. If you do this all the time, set a focus like noticing and counting up types of flowers and trees.
  • Take a longer hike somewhere new. Check out this list of DC-area hikes for some ideas.
  • Go somewhere you’ve been before and this time start seasonal journals. Plan to go again every three months – in July, October and January – and take your notebooks each time to draw or write down observations.
• Observe
  • Have kids trace their shadow in sidewalk chalk for the day to observe the path of the sun.
  • Initiate a new routine of doing sit spots, sitting and observing nature for 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes. If your kids like to write or draw, include journals during or after.

Find more about connecting kids to nature in my article from last year’s Washington FAMILY Earth Day edition.

• Check out these anytime earth ideas – and some special events – from the Arlington County government.

City Nature Challenge April 30-May 3

To participate, take images of nature using iNaturalist, an app you can download from the AppStore or Google Play. Share your observations and get feedback from scientists, experts and other naturalists.

DC-area events

• Earth Day Trivia with Common Good City Farm
• EcoAction Arlington Earth Day Clean-Up: Registration is full!
• Montgomery County Greenfest: online through April 30
• Chrysalis Chiropractic Earth Day Yoga Flow Spring2Action Fundraiser: Alexandria, VA: April 22, 9:00 a.m.
• Green Springs Garden Park Earth Day Celebration: April 24, 1:00-2:00, registration required
• Potomac Riverkeeper Network River Cleanup, Alexandria, VA, April 24: Sign up for a shift
• Restore Our Earth Fun Run/Walk, Wheaton, MD, 9:00-1:00
• Living Earth Virtual Festival, Museum of the American Indian, April 22-25
• Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling & Potomac Waterfront Cleanup, April 24, 9:00-1:00
• Earth Day Show with Talewise and Alexandria library, April 22, 3:30-4:30

Coalition events

Earth Uprising International along with EARTHDAY.ORG, Education International, and Hip Hop Caucus are coming together for three separate parallel climate summits on April 20th and 21st ahead of the Biden Administration’s global leaders’ climate summit.

April 20: 2:30 p.m. Four-hour digital youth-led summit held by Earth Uprising, in partnership with international youth climate activists.

April 20: 7 p.m. Hip Hop Caucus We Shall Breathe summit

April 21: 7 a.m. Teach for the Planet Global Education Summit

April 22: 12 noon: Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth live stream

Earthday.org

On Earth Day – Thursday, April 22 – EARTHDAY.ORG will “bring together its partners, activists, educators, researchers, musicians, artists, influencers and more for its second-annual Earth Day Live. The multi-hour multi-channel livestream will include segments taking place around the world starting at noon Eastern Time. Workshops, panel discussions, and special performances will focus on Earth Day’s 2021 theme, Restore Our Earth, which examines natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Topics will include climate and environmental literacy, climate restoration technologies, reforestation efforts, regenerative agriculture, equity and environmental justice, citizen science, cleanups, and beyond. World climate leaders, grassroots activists, nonprofit innovators, thought leaders, industry leaders, artists, musicians, influencers, and more will be involved.”

For more information about Earth Day 2021, visit www.earthday.org

Jessica Claire Haney is a writer and the founder of Mindful Healthy Life. A former English teacher, she works as a freelance editor and tutor. Learn more at JessicaClaireHaney.com. Follow Jessica on Instagram at @jessicaclairehaney and @mindfulhealthy, on Facebook at CrunchyChewyMama and MindfulHealthyLife, and on Twitter @CrunchyChewy and @MindfulHealthy.