Things to Do to Celebrate Earth Day In and Around Denver (and Online)

Last year's fiftieth-anniversary celebration of Earth Day was overshadowed by the onset of the pandemic. Since then, we've taken a few steps backward in our environmental efforts (hello, germ-free disposable everything), but also moved a few steps forward (staying at home means less car pollution). As we take baby steps back to normalcy with vaccinations spreading and more people going out again, what will that mean for the environment?

Revisit your commitment to sustainability by checking out these in-person and virtual Earth Day (and week) events:

Alliance Center Earth Week Celebration
Through Sunday, April 25
Various locations and prices
To encourage Colorado youth to get involved in sustainability, this online event hosted by the Alliance Center includes "missions" such as going for a hike or planting a tree. Participants compete to earn environment-related prizes. There will also be a virtual speed-networking event for students to learn about career options in sustainability, a discussion with the Green Team Academy on how to start a community initiative, and inspiring conversation with guests including environmental-justice activist Nicole Jackson and GrowHaus community outreach manager Bianca Acosta.

Earth Week Summit
Through Saturday, April 24
Online, free
Presented by the Green Team Academy, a Denver-based organization that provides education on how to start green initiatives, this series of events, now in its third year, includes virtual live workshops, happy hours and a chance to chat and collaborate. Guest speakers include author and Denver7 meteorologist Mike Nelson, Shaina Oliver of Moms Clean Air Force, and Sarita Parikh, co-founder of Glow + Gather.

Longmont Earth Day Celebration
Through Saturday, April 24
Online, free
This week-long Earth Day celebration at the Longmont Museum will include live streaming panels, lectures, and conversations with local scientists and other experts on air, fire, earth and sustainability. The evening events will be followed by a day-long celebration of environmentalism on Saturday, April 24, with a focus on youth and education, as well as a special bilingual conversation on the subject of equity and climate change.

Team GREAT Golden Earth Week Festivities
Through Friday, April 23
Online and various locations, donations encouraged
Team GREAT (Golden Residents Eco Action Team) is hosting a virtual and in-person Earth Day event that includes nightly panel discussions on sustainability at 6 p.m. via Zoom, with speakers from the Colorado School of Mines, Waste Management, Golden Real Estate, Eco-Cycle and the Green Team Academy along with Golden Mayor Laura Weinberg and State Representative Lisa Cutter. An in-person, socially distanced cleanup has been postponed to Sunday, April 25, from 2 to 5 p.m., at the Clear Creek Trail. To participate, meet at Ford Street and 7th Place in Golden.

Earth Day South Platte River Cleanup
Thursday, April 22, 3 to 6 p.m.
Strength in the City is hosting a one-hour South Platte River cleanup, followed by a happy hour at Number 38. The cleanup is in conjunction with Denver Parks and Recreation; find out more here.

eTown's 30th b'Earthday Celebration
Thursday, April 22, 6:30 p.m.
Online, free
How time flies when you're having fun, playing good music...and doing good! Nick and Helen Forster started eTown in Boulder in April 1991, and thirty years and nearly a thousand performances later, it's better than ever. In celebration of eTown's thirtieth anniversary, this livestream event will include eTown’s induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, followed by music and conversation with artists including Lyle Lovett, Bob Weir, Nathaniel Rateliff, Black Pumas, Los Lobos, Sam Bush, Sarah Jarosz, City and Colour, The War and Treaty, and Raquel Garcia. There will also be visits with some of eTown's favorite guests, former U.S. senator Tim Wirth and U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse, talking about the issues that eTown has long promoted: sustainability, energy efficiency, climate change and social responsibility. Admission is free to this can't-miss, virtual event; register here.

Seeing Differently: The Art of Communicating Climate Change
Thursday, April 22, 7 p.m., online
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s celebration of Earth Day this spring is sensibly spare, but there’s plenty of information about how to sustain Earth's delicate ecosystems packed into "Seeing Differently: The Art of Communicating Climate Change." Hosted by Denver7 meteorologist Mike Nelson, the virtual event employs filmmakers, artists and performers to put a fun cultural spin on science. Register and find details about the free event here.

Earth Day Music and Art Celebration
Thursday, April 22, 7 p.m.
Online, donations encouraged
ARISE music festival, in partnership with Fort Collins-based nonprofit Trees, Water & People, presents an Earth Day celebration with Mike Love, Satsang, Mystic Grizzly, Block 1750, artist John Speaker and more performing online to celebrate and strengthen the ties between music, nature and humankind. Streaming from Colorado Sound Studios, the event boasts high-definition, studio-quality performances, newly released music, live painting, choreography by Block 1750 and exclusive interviews. Organizers will plant a tree for every donation made. A portion of proceeds also benefits Trees, Water & People. By donating, viewers are entered to win official merchandise, future concert tickets, free music and more.

Artman Productions Earth Day Celebration and Fashion Show
Sunday, April 25, noon to 4 p.m.
Farm 49, 7180 North 49th Street, Longmont, free
Get out on a farm to celebrate the Earth. Starting with a guided group meditation, this event includes a blessing-of-the-plants ceremony with educational hands-on planting, and an art installation by Sharon DeMattia. The event will finish with a fashion show by the new brand ODIN, highlighting sustainable apparel made out of hemp and bamboo, along with secondhand fashion items to encourage reuse. This year's theme will highlight people's interconnectedness with the Earth and the call for no plastic use.

Do you know of an event that belongs here? Send the details to [email protected].