Earth Day is coming up! What better way to celebrate Earth than to learn more about our beautiful planet, take action to clean up our local environment, and to think about ways that we can have a positive effect to make the Earth a cleaner, healthier, happier place. Here are 15+ Earth Day events in and around Boulder that will give you the opportunity to take part in positive change: tree planting events, learning opportunities, highway clean-up and more.
Earth Month Open House: Call to Environmental Action
When: Thursday, April 19, 2018
Where: Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 5:30PM – 8:30PM
Cost: FREE
Join the Boulder Public Library for an Earth Month Open House. Find out what you can do to take action today to protect the health of people, wildlife and our creeks. Open house reception at 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the Canyon Gallery and library gardens. Sense of Wonder play starts at 7 p.m., Canyon Theater. Presenters include: The Boulder Pollinator Garden Project, People and Pollinators Action Network, Butterfly Pavilion, Seed to Table programs at the Boulder Public Library.
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
Photo Courtesy Keep Boulder Green
When: Thursday, April 19, 2018
Where: CU Boulder Fleming Building, 2480 Kittredge Loop Drive Room 156, Boulder, Colorado 80305
Time: 5:30PM – 9PM
Cost: FREE, Register here.
Join Keep Colorado Green and Boulder ISO in CU Boulder’s Fleming 156 for a film screening of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. Free popcorn will be provided!
Naropa’s Permaculture Action Day with DJ Cavem & Co
Photo Courtesy Permaculture Student Union
When: Friday, April 20, 2018
Where: Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 12PM – 5PM
Cost: FREE
Join Naropa University students for a high-energy event celebrating Earth Day while putting dreams for social and ecological justice into action at Permaculture Action Day. Led by students and open to community, all who register are welcome to participate in Naropa’s free ‘Permaculture Action Day’; a one day event designed to co-create a sustainable and regenerative world by actually taking action. Food, music, workshops, and hands-on work cultivating and planting the soil will ignite and inspire the permaculture activist in everyone! This blitz-style work day, sponsored by Naropa Sustainability Council and Permaculture Student Union for Earth Justice Day, is held to empower, teach, share, and create. To register and for more details, click here.
John Denver Earth Week Sing Along
When: Friday, April 20, 2018
Where: Chautauqua Ranger Cottage
Time: 5:30PM
Cost: FREE
John Denver’s music and poetry helped define Colorado’s environmental ethic. In 2007, Colorado officially adopted “Rocky Mountain High” as our state song. What better time than Earth Week to get together with friends and family for a sing-along to celebrate the natural beauty we get to call home. Music sponsored by City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks and led by local guitarist / vocalist Gregg Green. All ages welcome! This event has been moved to the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage due to weather.
Tree-Planting at the Fourmile Fire Site
Photo Courtesy One Tree Planted
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Where: 849 Melvina Hill Rd, Boulder, CO 80302-9703
Time: 9AM – 3PM
Cost: FREE, Register here.
Help One Tree Planted plant 7,000 trees this Earth Day weekend! The Fourmile Fire in 2010 burned 160 homes and left whole mountainsides scorched and without vegetation. Mountainous areas that experience wildfire are prone to flooding and landslides in the subsequent years, and that is exactly what has happened in Fourmile Canyon. Planting trees and revegetating helps stabilize the soils on steep slopes, improves habitat, and contributes to improved water quality in the rivers. At this tree planting event, please bring gardening gloves and a shovel if you can, if not there will be gloves and shovels on site but it helps if you can bring your own. Also recommended: a bottle of water, a hat and/or sunscreen, comfortable shoes, good vibes, AND a tote bag to carry the saplings. For more info, click here.
Free Museum Family Day: Nature’s Aviators
Photo Courtesy CU Museum of Natural History
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Where: University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Henderson Building, 15th and Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 10AM – 4PM
Cost: FREE
Look up in the sky, what’s soaring by? A bird, a bat, a bee, or a seed? Take an up-close look at wings covered in feathers, scales, and fur—what structures help them fly? Through observations and hands-on experiments, we’ll spend the day with our heads in the clouds, exploring the successes and challenges of nature’s aviators at CU Museum of Natural History‘s Nature’s Aviators. Live Birds! Flying Squid Rocket Launching! And – while on the subject of looking up in the sky – be sure to visit Fiske Planetarium for Astronomy Day from 1PM – 10PM. The museum will provide maps so you can easily move from one venue to the other.
Longmont Earth Day Celebration
Photo Courtesy Sustainable Resilient Longmont
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Where: City of Longmont Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road, Longmont, Colorado 80501
Time: 10AM – 3PM
Cost: FREE
The 4th Annual Longmont Earth Day Celebration is a free event featuring an expo of more than 20 hands-on activities, performances and education that will highlight sustainability and environmental issues. This year’s celebration will be a family-friendly event open to kids and adults of all ages. The event will host environmental education booths, speakers and performers (including Jeff and Paige), as well as arts and crafts, and opportunities to find out more about sustainability initiatives. This event is being organized by Sustainable Resilient Longmont.
National Park Fee Free Day
Photo Courtesy National Park Service
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Where: Colorado’s National Parks, Monuments and Public Lands
Time: All Day
Cost: FREE
National Park Week begins this weekend! The National Park Service is granting free admission to ALL National Parks and Lands on Saturday, April 21, 2018. What better way to enjoy our beautiful planet than to visit one of our state’s amazing and diverse national park, monuments and public lands. For all the info, click here.
Earth Day Highway Cleanup
Photo Courtesy Ocean First
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Where: Ocean First, 3015 Bluff St, Boulder, CO 80301
Time: 9AM – 1PM
Cost: FREE
Ocean First has sponsored a section of the diagonal highway for several years, and it’s time for the Earth Day Highway Cleanup. If you are looking to help make a difference on Earth Day, meet with other volunteers at Ocean First with your work boots on! After a short safety briefing, volunteers will grab trash bags and carpool to our sponsored section of the diagonal highway near Niwot, where the trash awaits our enthusiastic cleaning crew. By the afternoon we will return to Ocean First for lunch, prizes, and congratulatory pats on the back. Keep your eyes out for some interesting pieces of trash – best find gets a prize! It’s not rare to find a few dollar bills laying around the side of the road.
McGuckin Hardware Earth Day Birthday Party
Photo Courtesy McGuckin Hardware
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
Where: McGuckin Hardware, 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 11AM – 1PM
Cost: FREE
Celebrate Earth Day with McGuckin Hardware at the Earth Day Birthday Party. Check out earth-friendly product vendors, product demos, information sharing, giveaways, food and beverage samples and kids’ activities! Activities include DIY handmade paper, wildflower activity from BBB Seed, touch table with nature artifacts from Thorne Nature Experience for kids to learn about Colorado wildlife, enter a raffle to win a STIHL HSA 56 battery-operated hedge trimmer and battery ($309.85 value), tree giveaway hosted by City of Boulder and the Arbor Day Foundation and sponsored by TruGreen. First 260 customers in our south parking lot get a free native sapling to plant in their yard! One tree per Boulder household. Details here.
Fiske Planetarium Special FullDome Films + Earth Day Talks
Photo Courtesy Fiske Planetarium
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Fiske Planetarium, 2414 Regent Drive, Boulder, Colorado 80309
Time: 3PM – 4PM
Cost: $10/Adults, $7/Kids, Seniors, Veterans. Tickets available here.
For Earth Day, Fiske Planetarium is featuring Earth-centered FullDome Films, and each showing will include a special Earth Day talk. Films include Life of Trees, Habitat Earth, Dynamic Earth, and Bella Gaia: Beautiful Earth. These 30 minute films will be followed by a science-related talk. This event is recommended for adults and kids ages 12 and up.
Constructing Natural Habitats with Natural Habitat Adventures
Photo Courtesy Natural Habitat Adventures
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Natural Habitat Adventures, Boulder, Colorado 80301
Time: 1PM – 3PM
Cost: FREE
Natural Habitat Adventures is celebrating Earth Day by giving back to our incredible planet with this Constructing Natural Habitats event. Celebrate Earth Day by building habitats for local wildlife, specifically butterflies, bees, toads and frogs! Bring broken or unbroken pots (unpainted), small spade shovel, newspaper, and egg cartons for building toad abodes and pollinator pots! This is a kid friendly event. Please RSVP to courtneyn@nathab.com. More details here.
Earth Day Trailhead Exhibit and Activities
Photo Courtesy Entrepreneurial Earth
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Public Road Trailhead, Lafayette, CO
Time: 9AM – 12PM
Cost: FREE
Join Lafayette Open Space volunteers for an informal display of local natural and human history at the Lafayette Earth Day Trailhead Exhibit and Activities. Show and tell items, interactive activities and other educational materials are featured. Meet Bobby the Bullsnake! Check it out before or during your family walk or bike ride on Coal Creek! No RSVP required; just drop in! Questions? Contact Martin Ogle: Martin@EntrepreneurialEarth.com.
Jeff and Paige Earth Day Concert at Alaya
Photo Courtesy Jeff and Paige
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Alaya Preschool, 3340 19th St, Boulder, Colorado 80304
Time: 11AM – 12PM
Cost: $8/person, Crawlers are FREE. Tickets here.
Come celebrate Earth Day with Jeff and Paige at an outdoor concert at North Boulder preschool, Alaya. Expect songs and skits honoring and appreciating our wildlife, plant life and commitment to conservation. Front Range Cargo Bikes will be offering free test drives of their smooth-sailing e-bikes. Bring a blanket and weather appropriate clothing.
Community Planting Day on the Farm
Photo Courtesy Ollin Farms and Lefthand Watershed Oversight Group
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Ollin Farms, 8627 N 95th St, Longmont, Colorado 80504
Time: 11AM – 2PM
Cost: FREE
Join Ollin Farms on Earth Day on the farm for a community day of planting. There will be a variety of planting activities including the installation of Ollin’s new 25 tree plum orchard, Honeycrisp apple planting in a new research area, and a creek restoration project being led by the Lefthand Watershed Oversight Group that will focus on planting a variety of native willow and wetland plants aimed at increasing the health of the creek ecosystem. This is an educational, hands-on, family friendly event. After the planting activities, enjoy some social time to with refreshments. For more info, click here.
Pangea Organics Earth Tree Planting + Picnic
Photo Courtesy Pangea Organics
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: 22 Logan Mill Rd, Boulder, CO 80302-9733
Time: 7AM – 2PM
Cost: FREE
Join Pangea Organics as they plant 750 Aspens! Please bring boots, gloves and preferably a pick axe for digging but a spade will work as well. In addition, be sure to bring a water bottle and canvas shopping bag to carry trees. Pangea Organics is co-hosting this event with Tres Birds architecture / general contracting, Fjallraven Boulder and Justin’s who will be providing the organic, plant-based picnic lunch.
Love Your Earth Series – Free Seminars at Natural Grocers
Photo Courtesy Natural Grocers
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Natural Grocers (Boulder, CO), 2685 Pearl Street, Boulder, Colorado 80301
Time: 2:45PM – 4:45PM
Cost: FREE
Celebrate Earth Day with Natural Grocers in Boulder by hearing from local experts to get the skinny on all things earth related! Learn more about our pollinators from Tim Brod of Highland Honey as well as how you can support ladybug populations with our Nutritional Health Coach, Aryn Doll, RDN. Finish up the day with Mark Wesson from City of Boulder Zero Waste who will be conducting a class on zero waste and sustainability. At last, get all of your recycling and compost questions answered. For all the details and the full schedule, click here.
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers Earth Day Celebration
Photo Courtesy Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Altona Grange Hall, 9386 N 39th St, Longmont, Colorado 80503
Time: 4PM – 7PM
Cost: FREE
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers invites you to its annual Boulder Spring Kickoff and community Earth Day Celebration! Wildlands Restoration Volunteers is anticipating a full season restoring precious ecosystems across the Front Range. Visit with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers friends, old and new. Share in a bit of food, live music, and a journey in photos of the 2018 project season, with the opportunity to sign up early to volunteer for favorite events.
Party for the Planet ™ Earth Day Cleanup at Butterfly Pavilion
When: Sunday, April 22, 2018
Where: Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W 104th Ave, Westminster, CO 80020
Time: 10:30AM – 12PM
Cost: FREE, Donations appreciated. Register here using code EARTHDAY.
Join the Butterfly Pavilion for a morning of habitat restoration at Party for the Planet ™ Earth Day Cleanup! Snacks and drinks will be provided. Bring some gloves and clothes for outdoor adventure on what we hope to be beautiful spring weather. Register here for the event — replace all required payment information with the code EARTHDAY. If you do choose to make a donation, please enter in your desired donation amount and payment information in payment box.
26th Annual Microbreweries for the Environment
Photo Credit Taylor Wallace/aLive Coverage Photo Courtesy Boulder Theater
When: Friday, April 27, 2018
Where: Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 7PM – 1AM
Cost: $20 – $25. Tickets available here.
Technically after Earth Day, but definitely on topic — Microbreweries for the Environment is an annual benefit concert that was started in 1993 by student volunteers at the University of Colorado Environmental Center. The Boulder Theater is the premier producer, with support of veteran volunteers. The event is possible because of the MBE committee donating time and local brewers donating kegs of beer. Live music includes Amoramora + Intuit band with The Sweet Lillies. The concert benefits Girls on Rock, Colorado Ocean Coalition, CAN’d Aid Foundation, and CU Environmental Center. Ages 21+
