Mother Nature has graced us with an early spring — show your gratitude by helping our planet out in return!
Earth Day 2017 is coming up on Saturday, April 22, and there’s a whole week of events leading up to the big day from learning to create a terrarium over cocktails to a sleepover at Brooklyn Boulders and just spending some time in our amazing, blooming parks. Check out these 15 amazing ways to have some green-themed fun.
Union Square is a rare pocket of greenery in the East Village, which makes it a perfect place to remember just how vital it is for everyone in the city to do their part at the annual green-themed fair. You’ll get to meet the activists, businesses and environmental groups and learn how you can help, including signing up for green power (just bring a utility bill!) with the Earth Day Initiative, plus entertainment, games, and lots more. Tuesday, April 18, noon-7 p.m., free, countto50.org
Venture under the Antarctic sea, visit Pluto (you’ll always be a planet to us!), communicate with dolphins and witness the effects of ocean acidification, all in virtual reality at the Tribeca Film Festival’s festival-within-the-festival dedicated to the new frontier of filmmaking. April 18-23, $40 for a three-hour pass to Virtual Arcade, tribecafilm.com
“Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”
Vangeline Theater in Brooklyn is re-mounting its striking Butoh play (a style of Japanese performance theater) where actors will literally dance through garbage: The stage will be covered in a sea of disposable cups, calling attention to the fact that they’re non-recyclable, ending up in landfills and contributing to air pollution by releasing methane. This production will include new choreography, performance elements and panel discussions with environmental scientists. $16, April 20-22, 8 p.m., Triskelion Arts, 106 Calyer St., Brooklyn, $16, eventbrite.com
See some of the amazing green projects happening all around the city on this walking tour that could take you anywhere from a rooftop farm to inside some of the greenest (and best) restaurant kitchens in the city. Past tours have included lessons on healthy cooking and composting, so you’ll be sure to walk away with some great tips to use at home. The tour even ends with lunch! Friday, April 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., email info@earthdayny.org for details
The Apollo astronauts’ famous Earthrise photo inspired a whole generation of environmentalists. See our beautiful planet in a whole new way from right here on the ground at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, which will host a special immersive Earth Day program that tells the story of our fragile world. Friday, April 21, 8 p.m., free with admission ($22), RSVP at amnh.org
Get to know your community and help the earth at the same time at South Bronx Earth Fest, where you’ll find green resources, GrowNYC’s Stop N Swap to exchange clean, reusable items like clothing, housewares, books and toys; electronics recycling; plus games, live music, exercise classes, crafts, prizes and even free fresh food boxes (while supplies last). Saturday, April 22, noon-4 p.m., St. Mary’s Park, St. Ann’s Ave & 147th St., Bronx, grownyc.org
Brooklyn Boulders is hosting nothing less than a “festival to save the world” starting on April 22 at 8 a.m. and ending April 23 at 10 a.m. Drop by to start the event with outdoor yoga and meditation, then help clean up Brooklyn Bridge Park, enjoy live performances, take part in workshops and browse a pop-up market. Spring for VIP access and you’ll be treated to happy hour and dinner, an acoustic jam session around a campfire (with s’mores), and a sleepover, ending with a Quiet Climb and brunch. $32-$65, Brooklyn Boulders, 575 Degraw St., Gowanus, eventbrite.com
The entire mission of Wave Hill, a splendid 28-acre park of trails, woodland and fields in the Bronx, is to “explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.” This weekend, they’re hosting tons of events to get you vibing with Mother Earth through landscape-inspired meditation, an art project about bees, up-close encounters with live insects and more. All events free with admission ($8 adults, $2 kids), April 22-23, West 249th Street and Independence Ave., Riverdale, wavehill.org
Make your own world just a little bit greener with the help of Vivian Olen, who’ll teach you how to create the prettiest succulent garden in a glass bowl. Come ready to get your hands dirty during an afternoon of digging and planting, then reward yourself with drinks at the Arlo Hudson’s courtyard bar. Use code ARLO to get 30 percent off the $65 ticket price. April 22, 2 p.m., Arlo Hudson, 231 Hudson Square, plantnite.com
On Earth Day, the Department of Transportation is once again giving back a three-mile stretch of Broadway from Union Square to Times Square to the real users of New York streets: pedestrians. This year, the project also includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, with events like dance and musical performances, bike tours, pop-up parks, art walks, crafts, fitness classes and more. April 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., carfreeday.nyc
Healthy habits help the planet. With that in mind, head to the all-day wellness expo at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge curated by mindbodygreen including panel discussions with luminaries like astronaut Ron Gara, a group meditation in Brooklyn Bridge Park and rooftop yoga, plus food trucks and a marketplace of local vendors. The day wraps at 8 p.m. with a “multisensory performance” by Bella Gaia. Free, April 22, noon-10 p.m., 60 Furman St., 1earthdaybb.splashthat.com
Join the Prospect Park Alliance at the Audubon Center for a day of outdoor activities, including catch-and-release fishing lessons, guided bird watching, orienteering with the Urban Park Rangers to find hidden markers in the park and a lakeside clean-up. Free, April 22, noon-4 p.m., Prospect Park near the Lincoln Road entrance, Brooklyn, prospectpark.org
Help keep Riverbank State Park beautiful by volunteering on Earth Day for surveying projects, creating wildflower seed starters, and painting and assembling new park benches. For all your hard work, there will be free breakfast and T-shirts, music, family-friendly games and activities and more. April 22, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., West 145th Street & Riverside Drive, Harlem
Learn about New Yorkers’ long-standing work as environmental advocates (and take cues) at a scavenger hunt inside the Museum of the City of New York’s Activist New York exhibit. It’s just one of the many family-friendly activities (ages 6-12) for Earth Day, like decorating a planter (take it home with a seed to grow!) and healthy snacks. April 22, 11 a.m., 1220 Fifth Ave., free with admission ($18 adults, free for kids under 19), RSVP suggested, mcny.org
