Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Across Michigan
Shandra Martinez
| 3 min read
For more than 50 years, Earth Day has been a great way to celebrate our planet and do good things for our neighborhood environments. Whether it’s coming together to clean up a stretch of riverfront in our town, planting a tree in our yard, or making small energy-efficient upgrades in our homes, there are so many sustainable ways to mark Earth Day with actions that have far-reaching benefits.
What is Earth Day?
This day has its roots in the Midwest. The first Earth Day was held in 1970, a year after a Wisconsin senator was among those to see the effects of a West Coast oil spill the year before. He and others organized a teach-in with environmental themes across college campuses, according to the history shared by the earthday.org. The goal was to inspire change and better protections for the environment, and raise awareness about the problems the Earth was facing. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, and its momentum brought together people from a wide range of political and faith-based groups, as well as those in agriculture and non-profits. This groundswell turned into an annual day to recognize our shared responsibility to the planet.
Earth Day activities
Earth Day has now become a global event, with the day recognized by more than a billion people across the world. There are large-scale events that get national headlines, but many communities also host their own Earth Day events to call people’s attention to the state of the planet and offer ways they can help make a difference.
Here are some regional Earth Day events going on around Michigan this year. Check the individual links for details, days and times:
Detroit
Community Clean-up at the Brightmoor Artisans Collective
Earth Day tree planting in Circle Forest at the Arboretum Detroit
Midland
Earth Day Action Expo at H.H. Dow High School
Jackson
2023 Earth Day Celebration in the Park at Sparks Foundation County Park
Rochester
St. Clair County
Earth Fair at Goodells County Park
Kalamazoo
Earth Day celebration at the Kalamazoo Nature Center
Lansing
Party for the Planet at Potter Park Zoo
Bellaire
Earth Day Bird Walk at the Grass River Natural Area
Grand Rapids
Drive Electric Earth Day event, Meijer parking lot on 28th St. SE.
Ottawa County
Earth Day Lakeshore Green March, meet at 58th District Court in Grand Haven
Howell
Earth Day celebration at the Howell Nature Center
Traverse City
Earth Day Volunteer Planting Workbee, put on by the Grand Traverse Conservation District
Individual actions
If you are not able to get to a community event, but still want to make a difference on Earth Day ,state environmental officials have some suggestions for how to make an impact:
- Do a little spring cleaning
- Gather up items you no longer need – but are still in good condition – and donate them instead of throwing them away.
- Gather up all those single-use plastic grocery bags you have hanging around and bring them back to your store’s recycle bin.
- Pick out a new small tree or two to plant in your yard. No space for trees? Get some native wildflower seeds and create a butterfly garden in an unused spot in your garden or yard.
- Be good to yourself by eating more vegetables, beans and whole grains.
- Ride your bike, paddle a canoe or get out in nature on your favorite trail.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
