Earth Day

Every year on April 22, our global community comes together to advance sustainability and climate action in commemoration of Earth Day. In recent years, our community has begun expanding the Earth Day celebration to include events and activities throughout the month of April. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Invest In Our Planet,” which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues.

Throughout April, the City will join our community in commemorating Earth Month with educational activities, volunteer events and more. United together, we’ll drive a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to a sustainable and equitable future for our planet.

Earth Month tips!

Here are some tips for celebrating our Earth this April and beyond!

Avoid plastic disposables. Bring your reusable bags when shopping and take your reusable water bottle everywhere you go to reduce plastic consumption.

Ride the busLawrence Transit is free in 2023! Leaving your car at home can mean reduced gasoline consumption and carbon emissions.

Conserve energy. You can install a programmable thermostat, use energy-efficient appliances, insulate and weatherize your home, and replace or cleaning your air filters.

Visit a Lawrence park. Walking through a park is a fun way to learn about nature and interact with the environment.

Plant a tree. Planting a tree is an easy way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and counter deforestation.

Conserve water. Turning off your irrigation system when it rains and watering as infrequently as possible without causing undue stress to your lawn prevents water from being wasted.

Earth Month activities and events!

April (all month)

TAKE A TREE TOUR of South Park or Lawrence Rotary Arboretum.

Together these sites are home to more than 50 species of trees! Access an interactive map of each site to take a self-guided tour. How many species can you find?

Two Lawrence locations: South Park, 1141 Massachusetts Street and Lawrence Rotary Arboretum, 5100 W 27th Street

Cans for the Community celebrates Earth Day the entire month of April!

The goal is to recycle 5,000 pounds of aluminum cans and donate all proceeds to the USD 497 elementary schools. You can help by dropping off aluminum cans at one of the “can houses”. Locations are listed on the Cans for the Community website.

Various locations throughout Lawrence

http://cansforthecommunity.org/

Saturday, April 15 from 9 am to 12 pm

Bring your family out to the wetlands for the annual Family Fun Day event with Outside for a Better Inside!

Local organizations will be set up around the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center with games, activities, and educational information. This event is free to the public!

Baker Wetlands Discovery Center, 1365 N 1250 Road, Lawrence

https://www.bakeru.edu/event/family-fun-day/

Saturday, April 15 from 4 pm to 6 pm

Join KLT and Native Lands Restoration Collection in clearing out invasive species along the trails of Lawrence Nature Park.

This is for all ages and needed supplies will be provided. Please RSVP.

Lawrence Nature Park, Folks Road, Lawrence

https://www.klt.org/event

Saturday, April 15 to Sunday, April 23

Kansas City’s Earth Festival!

Nine days of fairs, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and activities throughout the metro area – both in-person and online. All events are free and open to the public.

Various locations throughout Kansas City

https://climategkc.org/EF23/

Thursday, April 20 from 5 pm to 8 pm (rain date: April 21)

A Community Spring Celebration – Trails That Connect Us

Groups and individuals will gather to celebrate our heritage of outdoor opportunities in Lawrence. Free State’s Eastside Brewery will host Trails that Connect Us, a free evening event along the Burroughs Trail, 19th and Moodie Road. Share memories and tales with other explorers and gather insights on new adventures in Douglas County. There will be kid-friendly activities. This location offers easy access from the Burroughs trail, so cycling or walking is encouraged!

Free State’s Eastside Brewery, 1927 Moodie Road, Lawrence

https://flatks.org/event/trails-that-connect-us/

Saturday, April 22 from 8 am to 10 am

Birding Walk at the Fitch Natural History Reservation

Celebrate Earth Day by starting your day off right! Lucas DeCicco, PhD candidate and ornithologist from KU’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, will lead a birding walk at the Fitch Natural History Reservation. Participants can expect to walk ~2 miles along established, uneven trails through successional and oak-hickory forests. We hope to see spring migrants like warblers, vireos, and thrushes. Ticks are active, so please treat your clothes with a deterrent ahead of time. All levels of birders are welcome! What to bring: sturdy shoes, long pants treated for ticks, and binoculars. Please RSVP to Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu) as space is limited.

2055 E 1600 Road, Lawrence (parking is located at the Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve)

Saturday, April 22 from 9 am to 11 am, (rain date: April 29)

Wakarusa Wetlands Celebration!

Meet local authors and artists as they share their creative work, connections to the wetlands and more of the outside world–enhancing our connections to nature, a sense of place and community. Lawrence Public Library is partnering with Haskell Indian Nations University and Raven Book Store to offer this celebration of the wetlands.

Haskell Indian Nations University, 155 East Indian Avenue, Lawrence

https://lawrence.bibliocommons.com/events/63d15b0f0470e64100b891b0

Saturday, April 22 from 9 am to 1 pm

9th Annual Kansas River Cleanup

Celebrate Earth Month by giving back to the Kansas River! Join Friends of the Kaw and partners (The Nature Conservancy, City of Lawrence, and The Merc Coop) to clean up the riverbank below Bowersock dam. Please RSVP.

City parking lot on southeast corner of N 2nd Street and Locust Street, Lawrence

https://kansasriver.org/cleanup-schedule/

Saturday, April 22 from 10 am to 1 pm

Come celebrate our wonderful planet at Prairie Park Nature Center’s free Earth Day event!

Bring the whole family to enjoy three exciting animal programs, a seed bomb catapult, crafts, carnival game with Earth-friendly prizes and gift cards, and Natural Grocers giveaways!

Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper Street, Lawrence

Event Flyer

Saturday, April 22 from 12 pm to 4 pm

Earth Day activities and events with local geoscientists! Rocks, fossils, and minerals.

Kids can collect drone footage, make a seismic wave, build an aquifer, and more! This FREE event is sponsored by the Kansas Geological Survey and the USGS Kansas Water Science Center.

Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Avenue, Lawrence

Saturday, April 22 from 1 pm to 2 pm

Janine Antoni’s here-ing labyrinth at the KU Field Station

Celebrate Earth Day by contributing your steps to Janine Antoni’s here-ing labyrinth at the KU Field Station. While walking the path of the labyrinth in the shape of a human ear, you will interact with your environment in a unique way and help to establish the path for those who come after you. Sheena Parsons, KU Field Station manager, will talk to participants about the ongoing creation of the artwork, here-ing, and lead them on a guided walk through the labyrinth. Participants can expect to walk less than a mile on a flat footpath (not ADA accessible). What to bring: sturdy shoes, long pants treated for ticks, and bottle of water. Please RSVP to Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu) as space is limited.

2055 E 1600 Road, Lawrence (parking is located at the Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve)

Saturday, April 22 from 1 pm to 3 pm, (rain date: May 6 at Watkins Museum of History)

Earth Day Fair at South Park

Attend the Earth Day Fair at South Park for a wide range of fun crafts, activities, and information about our planet’s amazing natural resources and how we can protect them. Bring one recyclable aluminum can for our Cans For the Community drive as your price of admission! A list of participating organizations is on the Watkins Museum of History website.

South Park, 1141 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence

https://www.watkinsmuseum.org/event/lawrence-earth-day-fair

Saturday, April 22 from 1 pm to 4 pm

ART CART EARTH WITHOUT ART IS “EH.

Join in a citywide celebration of Earth Day! Learn how to create a colorful woven food covering from plastic bags and wire. The Art Cart is a free drop-in activity station where children and grown-ups enjoy hands-on art projects together, taking inspiration from original works of art on view.

Spencer Museum of Art, 405 Michaelis Gallery

https://spencerart.ku.edu/calendar

Saturday, April 22 from 1 pm to 4 pm

Earth Day Celebration at Prairie Park

Join Grassland Heritage Foundation and Native Lands Restoration Collaborative for a fun afternoon celebrating our planet at Prairie Park! This is an educational day planting and seeding native wildflowers and grasses, sharing information about how to protect and restore our native ecosystems, and having some fun with crafts for folks of all ages! This is a family-friendly event that will be a great way to volunteer and create works of art to celebrate Earth Day. Please RSVP.

Prairie Park, 2811 Kensington Road, Lawrence

https://www.grasslandheritage.org/prairiepark

Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 pm

Plan to attend the Lawrence Community Orchestra’s A Walk in the Woods: An Earth Day Concert.

Vivaldi – Spring, Stephen Sondheim – No One is Alone from Into the Woods, Beethoven – Symphony #6 – Movt 5 Allegretto (Shepherd’s Song), and Sibelius – Symphony #1. Tickets sold on the Lawrence Community Orchestra’s website.

Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont Street, Lawrence

https://www.lawrenceorchestra.org/concerts/

Sunday, April 23 from 1 pm to 4 pm, (rain date: April 30)

Hidden Valley Camp volunteer day!

Anyone interested is welcomed to help with trail maintenance, site clean-up, remove invasive vegetation, and tree planting. Please RSVP.

Hidden Valley Camp, second driveway west of Kasold Drive and Bob Billings Parkway, Lawrence

https://www.friendshv.org/work-day-flyer-sign-up


Previous Earth Day Reports