So many ways to celebrate Earth Day

People around the world celebrate Earth Day on April 22 to raise awareness of the impact of pollution on the environment and people.

Earth Month, celebrated in April, gives Miami-Dade residents the opportunity to show love and appreciation for our precious environment and ecosystems. Enjoy fun, family-friendly Earth Month activities and events all month long and beyond.

Events

Safety guidelines and protocols will be strictly observed at these activities. Participants must wear face coverings and practice social distancing.

April 17-May 2

• Zoo Miami's Party For The Planet: Enjoy a mobile scavenger hunt that’ll take you through three educational missions to save our planet from environmental threats

April 19-25

• Celebrate Earth Day virtually by posting photos or videos of your daily activities connecting with nature using #ActsOfGreen on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Acts of Green can be any actions taken to improve our world and our planet. Submit your Acts of Green, share them on social media and help spread the word

April 20

• Board of County Commissioners proclamation announcing April as Water Conservation Month. Watch the meeting via webcast
• Winners of the Every Drop Counts Poster Contest announced

April 21

• The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center will host a dialogue on opportunities for climate adaptation and resilience action featuring national and international leaders. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is among the participants. Register today.

April 22: Earth Day

• Celebrate Earth Day by volunteering at Fruit and Spice Park
• Earth Day Beach CleanUp at Crandon Park with the Parks Department. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mayor Levine Cave will attend
• South District Police Department for Earth Day at the Everglades Camp. Participants will be planting a butterfly garden at the preschool (tentative, TBD)
• Help remove invasive plants and clean up litter at Camp Matecumbe, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• The Community Resilience Pod is back at Zoo Miami for Earth Day
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April 22 - May 8

• Earth Day 5K Virtual Run/Walk: Walk or run toward your health goals in the Earth Day 5K Virtual Run/Walk, a two-week virtual event benefiting the United Way of Miami-Dade. The first 100 registrants receive a t-shirt and medal

April 28

• Official kickoff event for the Building Efficiency 305 (BE305) Challenge, hosted by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

Ongoing Events

• Baynanza: This annual celebration where thousands of volunteers help clean Biscayne Bay was cancelled last year due to COVID-19. This month, you can participate in Baynanza at your convenience. Small groups and organizations can plan their own cleanup events. Participants will receive Baynanza t-shirts, tote bags and more. Complete this form to get started
• Miami-Dade Parks: Visit the Parks calendar and select Month to view all the events taking place in April
• Miami-Dade Public Libraries: Learn about a variety of online events to celebrate Earth Month. Learn about sea turtles, recycling, upcycling, ocean conservation, the Everglades, Florida’s ice age and so much more
• Every Drop Counts Kids Poster Contest: Next time you’re visiting Miami-Dade Water and Sewer, be sure check out the Drop Savers Poster Exhibition, open to the public through May 7
• Drinking Water Week: Taking place from May 2-8, the week will be recognized by the Board of County Commissioners at the May 4th meeting. Watch the meeting via webcast

Tips

• Water Conservation Program: Learn the many ways you can save money and water
• Green Tips: There are many easy ways to go green. Read about them as well as more Resilience initiatives taking place in Miami-Dade County
• Curbside Recycling/Recycle Right: Since 2009, Miami-Dade County's curbside recycling program has helped keep nearly 60,000 tons of recyclable materials out of area landfills each year. That’s the equivalent of 600 space shuttles. Instead, these materials are recycled into new items that others can enjoy. Learn what can be recycled
• Home Chemical Collection Program and ChemAgain: Home Chemical Collection Centers are open to all Miami-Dade residents and they’ll take lithium batteries, pesticides, paints and many other items. If the items are in good shape, they’ll even make them available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to other Miami-Dade residents
• Nothing Goes to Waste: Most of the waste in Miami-Dade County doesn’t go to a landfill; it goes to the Resources Recovery Facility instead, where about one million tons of waste is incinerated each year. While the primary reason for doing this is to reduce the volume of waste handled by an amazing 90 percent (thereby reducing the need for landfill space), a nice by-product is that enough electricity is generated to power the facility itself plus another 35,000 homes in Homestead
• Back to Nature: In Miami-Dade County, parts of a couple of old landfills and an active disposal facility have been converted into acres of wetlands. Mangroves and other native plants were planted, attracting more native plant and animal species. Rainwater retention ponds that support freshwater wetland ecosystems have also been built