Celebrate Earth Day in Your Own Backyard

For 41 years, the world has come together to support sustainability, clean up the land around them and celebrate Earth Day. And with more attention being paid to a greener world by the day, there's no better time to get involved with some of the fun and interesting Earth Day activities available across the area. Philadelphia has even created an Earth Month Calendar that lists dozens of citywide green events happening during the month of April. But for you locals, here are a few of the many Earth Day festivities happening near you:

1. Get your wild side on at the 19th Annual Children’s Earth Day Forest. Celebrate one of the Delaware Valley’s longest running Earth Day events and visit  this year’s Children’s Earth Day Forest. The Lower Merion Conservancy provides dozens of classrooms from preschool through twelfth grade, with materials for students to create their own representations of a native Pennsylvanian tree. The trees are then brought together at Waverly Heights, a local retirement community, where there will be house games, crafts, science stations, live animals, music and more for the public and students. To sign up, contact Lindsay at (610) 645-9030 or lindsay@dragonfly.org
Where: Waverly Heights Ltd., 1400 Waverly Road, Gladwyne
When: April 30 – May 1, 10:00am – 3:00pm

2. Be a part of NarbEarth Day 2011. NarbEarth Day is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year with a slew of activities at Narberth Park. Take part in the perennial plants, housewares and toys swap, or buy, learn about (and eat!) local natual foods, check out the Narberth Community Library’s books sale, listen to live music and let your kids run wild at the farm animal petting zoo. Narberth Greens runs a Flower and Vegetable exchange and will be teaching neighbors about the importance of gardening. And take some time to participate in the community yoga class, the local raffle and the children’s planting garden. The opportunities are endless here. Admission is free.
Where: Narberth Park, 80 Windsor Ave., Narberth
When: April 23, Noon-4:00pm

3. Commemorate Earth Day with the professionals. The Society of Women Environmental Professionals will be celebrating Earth Day a week early this year at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. Volunteer with the Schuylkill Restoration Project in the morning from 10:30 to noon, and then partake in the live entertainment and lunch provided. Kids can take part in a scavenger hunt, a nature hike, a pond exploration, a birdhouse building activity or a trash-to-treasure project. The event is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. You can RSVP to Stephanie Everett-Johnson here, though it’s not required.
Where: 8480 Hagys Mill Road, Philadelphia
When: April 16, 9:00am – 3:00pm (Raindate: April 17, Noon – 5:00pm)

4. Get your green on with Habitat. Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County will be celebrating Earth Day at the ReStore. Check out the event’s green demonstrations, planting stations for kids, live music, food and giveaways, and bring your old television sets and electronics to be safely recycled. A free pair of gardening gloves will be given out to the first 600 entrants. Call 610-631-3149 or contact Kim at ktobin@habitatmontco.org or (610) 278-7710, x129 for details.  
Where: 533 Foundry Road, Norristown
When: April 16, 9:00am–2:00pm

5. Take a trip to Ambler. Temple’s Ambler Campus over in Upper Dublin Township will be celebrating EarthFest 2011 with an incredible array of activities and exhibits.  With more than 85 exhibits from The Franklin Institute, the Elmood Park and Philadelphia Zoos, the Phillies, the Academy of Natural Sciences and more, this event is sure to bring out the best of the best of Philly’s green and natural.  Admission is free. Contact 267-468-8108 or duffyj@temple.edu for more information.
Where: , 580 Meetinghouse Rd., Ambler
When: April 29, 9:30am–2:00pm

6. Celebrate Earth Day at your local library. If you are looking for a fun way to spend Earth Day with your kids, look no further than your own backyard. The Gladwyne Library will be celebrating Earth Day with a green craft. Contact the library at 610-642-3957 to register for the activity.
Where: 362 Righters Mill Road, Gladwyne
When: April 19, 4:00pm

7. Feeling Scholarly? Join Bryn Mawr College for a viewing and discussion of the environmental documentary The 11th Hour. The Bryn Mawr College Greens, the school’s student environmental advocacy group, will be hosting the event, handing out free tote bags and holding a raffle at the event.
Where: Bryn Mawr College, Location TBA
When: April 22, 8:30pm

8. Advocate for your state. To celebrate Earth Day and voice their concerns about "fracking" for natural gas in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s Green Party will be holding an Earth Day Demonstration at the Department for Environmental Protection. “The two corporate parties have no intention to ban fracking in our Commonwealth,” said Hugh Giordano, one of Roxborough’s Green Party Leaders, in a statement. “Only the Green Party will transfer our economy to renewable energy like solar, wind and thermal.”
Where: DEP’s Southeast Regional Office, Two Main Street,  Norristown
When: April 21, 4:00pm

9. Plant some love. Show the earth you care at the Haverford College Arboretum. Join the school’s horticultural staff as they plant perennials in the meadow above the Duck Pond. They’ve got 800 plants that need homes in the space behind the Skate House, so there is plenty of work for all. Contact 610-896-1101 or
arbor@haverford.edu for details. And while you’re on campus, bring your old electronics to Sharpless Triangle at the corner of Coursey Road and College Lane on Haverford’s Main Campus. Capitol Asset, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be collecting these items for recycling for free as part of the school’s Electronics Recycling Day.
Where: Haverford Arboretum, 370 Lancaster Ave. (the Meadow above the Duck Pond), Haverford
When: April 22, 12:30pm

10. Green science through April. The Philadelphia Science Festival runs from April 15 through April 28, and it’s the perfect opportunity to take some quality time to better understand the scientific and environmental challenges we face and discoveries we’ve made. You can find these events all over Philadelphia and the surrounding areas.  From the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to the Chestnut Hill Branch Library to The Wagner Free Institute of Science and beyond, there are dozens of events, from battery building to chocolate tasting, that will leave you feeling like a green and cultured brainiac.
Where: All Over the Philadelphia and Surrounding Areas
When: April 15-28

For more green events surrounding Earth Day, check Philly's Earth Month Calendar.