Earth Day is April 22, which is the perfect holiday to celebrate by getting your hands dirty and cherishing your local green spaces. On other holidays, you might grab a few friends to party, but for this celebration, grab a few friends and volunteer around Columbus.
For more information on how you can make a difference this Earth Day go to www.earthdaycolumbus.org
Earth Day Volunteer Opportunities in and around Columbus
Columbus institutions are not limiting their Earth Day celebrations to April 22. There are volunteer opportunities all month long, all over the city. Bring gloves and a helping hand!
Elly Filho
To freshen up local green spaces, Columbus Recreation & Parks' designated park areas, including Goodale Park and Franklin Park, and other public entities including Northwest United Methodist's Children's Garden and the International Harvest Garden in Grove City, need volunteers to spread mulch, pick up litter and remove the brush that accumulates over the winter months.
Other gardens around the city are ready to plant their spring crops, and urban gardens are a great way to bring naturalization into the city. Franklin Avenue Community Garden, Four Seasons City Farm Collective and Clintonville's MidGarden will set up raised beds and plant vegetables and flowers in the coming weeks. No previous gardening experience is required.
A quintessential Earth Day activity is planting a tree to symbolize new growth and life in the green spaces around your home. Communities from Delaware to Pickerington will provide saplings and spaces to plant a tree. If you decide to plant a tree on your property to watch for generations to come, ensure you are accounting for the height and canopy size of the tree. Although that sapling looks small, it will quickly grow and can cause issues with power lines above and underground.
Other parts of the city and suburbs are offering recycling, up-cycling and/or electronic disposal programs, including Hilliard and Westerville’s Sharon Woods Metro Park.
Family Events
These events combine celebrations with learning opportunities for kids and adults alike.
Filip Urban
In Worthington, the Linworth School Community Garden invites you to become a conservationist in your own backyard. On April 19, educators will show you how to use the app iNaturalist, which helps you to identify plant and animal species in your community. As you track your data, it will help scientists understand how to support the ecosystems in Columbus and beyond.
Kids can be scientists, too! At Grange Insurance Audobon Center on April 19, families can participate in activities to encourage kids to learn more about the environment. They will learn more about composting and recycling, make upcycled art and plant trees. There will also be live music and food to go around.
A huge celebrate follows at Scioto Audubon Metro Park on April 27, celebrating the hours of volunteer work put in around the city with a festival featuring craft and food vendors, live music and arts and crafts for the kids. This event is also zero-waste, meaning you can feel good about celebrating in a way that is good for the environment.
Maggie Fipps is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com
