Earth Week 2024 events begin Saturday in St. Pete

One of the United States Department of Environmental Protection’s mottos is “Make Every Day Earth Day.”

In a strictly technical sense, Earth Day comes around every April 22. That motto, however, underscores the literal meaning of the holiday: Honor the planet, give back to the planet, be grateful for what we have and work to conserve it, 365 days a year. Words to live by.

The City of St. Petersburg has assembled and stitched together a week’s worth of planet-appreciation activities, some of them created in-house and some pre-existing.

Earth Week 2024 begins Saturday (April 20) with the St. Pete Youth Farm’s fourth annual Earth Day celebration. Caretaker Carla Bristol and her team of young tillers present vendors, food, games, live music, art activities, farm activities and more from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (learn more here).

Explains Allison Mihalich, director of the City’s Office of Sustainability & Resilience: “By partnering with us, it gives folks who otherwise wouldn’t know about the St. Pete Youth Farm and those types of opportunities, an inside look at ‘Hey, I can do this on other weekends. It don’t have to be just about celebrating Earth Day.’ They can come back again and again.

“So that Carla can say ‘Hey, this is really fun, isn’t it? You want to come back next week?’ And try and get more folks involved.”

The Sustainability & Resilience team, Milhalich adds, looks for “external groups that are motivated to make St. Petersburg a better place. We think about what people are already doing in the month of April – it’s a perfect month to be out, to start a garden, to care for your yard and your house and to get out in the community.”

After a week of diverse educational and recycling events, the week ends on a decidedly green note: The annual Green Thumb Festival, April 27 and 28 (9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily) at Walter Fuller Park. It’s all about plants and flowers (learn more here).

“And we’re giving away trees,” Milhalich says proudly. “We’re giving residents the opportunity to sign up to have a tree planted in their front yard. To support our tree canopy goal as a city. We’re giving away pollinator seeds, there’s a tree walk … I mean, it is huge.”

Saturday, April 20

Deuces Food Forest Garden Day – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Tour the Deuces Food Forest and volunteer from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants should bring a water bottle and sun protection. Tours will start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All ages are welcome. Register here . (Must sign a waiver to participate.)
1335 22nd St. S.

Birding at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Spend some time on the trails and learn about birds and bird watching. Guests will encounter various stations along the trail and get to participate in fun, interactive, and educational activities.

St. Pete Youth Farm 4th Annual Earth Day  – 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Visit the St. Pete Youth Farm for a fun celebration of the one Earth we have and call home. There will be vendors, food, games, music, art activities, farm activities, and so much more. All are welcome

Gadget4Good Drive – 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Digital Inclusion will be tabling at the Foundation for Healthy St. Petersburg collecting used electronics for recycling at 2333 34th St. S.
More info: https://www.digitalstpete.com/about

Monday, April 22

Earth Day “Spring Cleaning” Swap at Williams Park – 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Join the City of St. Petersburg on Earth Day to upcycle your gently used household items and pick up something new! Register here .

These household items will be accepted and swapped at this event:

• Women’s clothing
• Men’s clothing
• Kid’s clothing
• Kid’s toys & games
• Pet items (food must be unopened)
• Kitchen items
• Books
• Tools
• School items & supplies
• Plants (seeds, seedlings)

Please do not bring anything that is dirty, broken, or over 10 lbs.

Tuesday, April 23

Recycling Facility Tour – 9:30 a.m.
Take a tour of the Materials Recovery Facility and learn what can be recycled and the recycling process. Participants must wear closed toed shoes. Registration Required  – Spaces are limited. (Ages 18 and up. 10 participants MAX).

Friday, April 26

Pinellas Solid Waste Tour – 9:30 a.m.
Join this Pinellas County Solid Waste Complex tour to learn about the County’s vision of Zero Waste to landfill by 2050 and what you can do to reduce waste to conserve our landfill for future generations. Ages 8 and up. Registration Required.

Saturday, April 27

Earth Week Cleanup – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Join Keep Pinellas Beautiful and City of St. Petersburg for a cleanup at Tangerine Plaza! Register here .

Gadget4Good Drive – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Community Tech House, partner in Digital Inclusion, Network will be tabling to collect used electronics for recycling at 3059 18th Ave. S.
More info: https://communitytechhouse.com/

Continue the celebration with the Green Thumb Festival! From Saturday, April 27 through Sunday, April 28, visit Walter Fuller Park from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to join the Arbor Day festivities.