Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Join the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores to kick off its Party for the Planet.

The event series starts on Earth Day Monday, will continue on Endangered Species Day May 17, and end June 8 on World Ocean Day.

During the on-site event Monday, visitors can listen to presentations, and participate in nature-based activities and sustainable-action challenges focused on this year’s theme, “Spring Into Action.”

Visitors can participate in the Green Team Challenge, a celebration of Earth’s biodiversity, and discover how to make a difference through everyday actions, organizers said.

Participants can choose one of three teams to join during the on-site events or online. Teams are Water Warriors, Food Fighters, and Garden Guardians.

After joining a team, participants pledge to do simple actions throughout the competition, take pictures while completing actions for their chosen team, and get a reward at the end of the competition.

“Talking about conservation can often be overwhelming and leave us feeling helpless because issues often feel so big, they seem impossible to solve,” Aquarium Educator Sarah Wright said. “The Green Team competition during our Party for the Planet breaks down conservation into small, feasible choices we can make in our everyday lives, with each team focusing on a different conservation issue.”

Each team features an animal ambassador — sea turtle, black vulture, or striped skunk — that will be featured in a virtual animal encounter for those who join a team and participate in the challenge.

Each team focuses on a different sustainability issue: Water Warriors challenge participants to conserve water, prevent water pollution, and protect aquatic ecosystems.

Food Fighters team members will consider the impact of our diets and food waste on the environment.

Those who choose to be Garden Guardians will pledge to protect different ecosystems and find ways to coexist with their neighborhood wildlife.

“I hope participants will feel empowered to participate in conservation. By taking action alongside their teammates, friends, and families, individual participants can hopefully identify conservation solutions in their everyday lives,” Wright said.

For more than 20 years, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited institutions across the nation have hosted Party for the Planet events, making it North America’s largest combined Earth Day, Endangered Species Day, and World Ocean Day celebration.

It’s the AZA’s sixth year of the “Spring into Action” campaign with support from the Disney Conservation Fund. The campaign aims to provide family-friendly, conservation-based events and volunteer opportunities that improve the health of our planet’s habitats and ecosystems.

For more information on the Aquarium’s Party for the Planet Green Team Challenge, visit the website.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Sturgeon City Environmental Education Center has a range of Earth Day activities planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The public event at the center, 50 Court St., Jacksonville, is to feature science stations offering hands-on exploration opportunities indoors and outdoors, food trucks, face painting and games.

As part of the center’s Earth Day festivities is a DNA model contest. This contest offers participants the chance to win a $50 Walmart gift card for the categories of best overall, most eco-friendly, and most creative. Participants can find contest rules and entry details on the website.

There is no charge to attend but organizers ask for participants to register for tickets on the website to ensure there are enough supplies and activities for everyone.

Food trucks scheduled to be at the event are Fryancee, Pelican’s SnoBalls, Tanja’s Hella Fat Food, Jireh Peruvian Coffee, and The Carolina Whip.

During the festivities expect Fantastic Faces for free face painting, banks, arts and crafts, researchers, local and county government representatives, N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, Wild at Heart Wildlife Sanctuary, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch, Onslow Literacy, Onslow County Library, New River YMCA, and Dixon High School Green Club.

Sturgeon City is former wastewater treatment plant converted into an environmental education center with hands-on science education programs and promotes protection of coastal waters.

Event sponsors include Ocean Fest, Marine Federal Credit Union, Jones-Onslow EMC, North Carolina Science Festival, Walmart Neighborhood Market Jacksonville and Walmart Jacksonville.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Sunset Beach has plans to celebrate on Friday both Earth Day and Arbor Day.

The Sunset Beach Environmental Resource Committee is hosting the program from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the town park, 206 Sunset Blvd.

“Arbor Day was first celebrated in 1872 and Earth Day in 1970. Both events were created to educate and inspire the environmental movement worldwide and to emphasize the importance of trees in our future,” organizers said.

There will be environmentally aware groups and organizations to answer questions and share information about their programs. Visitors can participate in a plant give away, native plant swap, have discussions on resilience and get a reusable grocery bag.

All are encouraged to attend the event being held at no charge.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Southern Shores is recognizing Earth Day during its annual cleanup event.

The three-day cleanup will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Hillcrest Beach Access, where volunteers can collect their supplies. There will be a light brunch, gardening tips from a Master Gardener, and a free tree sapling from OBX Tree Doc. Attendees can also register for a chance to win prizes including tickets to a VusicOBX concert and dinner for two at Steamers.

Each day will have a different area of focus. Volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday are to focus on crossovers, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, the focus will be on parks. From 9 a.m. to noon Monday, the cleanup focus will be on marinas and courts.

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up online.

Southern Shores Civic Association, Chicahauk Property Owners Association, and the town of Southern Shores organized the event. The event is supported by Amy’s Candles, Dare County Extension Master Gardeners, Home Depot, OBX Tree Doc, Steamers, Surfrider, and VusicOBX.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Long Leaf Park will have more than 50 environmentally minded exhibitors, live music, dancing, food trucks and family fun at the 34th annual Wilmington Earth Day Festival taking place noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20.

Hosted by the Wilmington Earth Day Alliance, the theme this year is “Planet vs. Plastics.” There is no charge to attend. Parking is free at the park, 314 Pine Grove Drive, Wilmington, and at the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center, 2222 South College Road.

Organizers said there will be recycling and composting stations to help this be a zero-waste event and recommend bringing a refillable water bottle. T-shirts with the 2024 festival logo will be for sale.

“This is my favorite festival of the year,” said Valerie Robertson, publisher of Cape Fear’s Going Green magazine and volunteer with the festival in a statement. “Good music, good food, fun things to do. And it’s the biggest gathering of environmental groups in Wilmington, so if you’re looking for a group to join or a place to volunteer, it’s a great way to learn about opportunities.”

There will be live music with Yard Doggs, Rose Tattoo, community drummers and dancers, and The Possums. The Rapping Red Oak will perform children’s songs and lead the children’s Nature Brigade Parade after Yard Doggs’ performance.

There will be a raffle. The winner will take home a Hurricane Kayak donated by Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Food trucks will offer vegan and vegetarian options and will serve their food in compostable packaging and offer compostable cutlery. On-site will be Latin American plant-based street food from RiCoQui, and smash burgers and subs from Smash & Dash. New to the festival will be Eastside Food and Well Fed Ed.

Hi-Wire Brewing, Fermental Beer & Wine, Good Hops Brewing and Noni Bacca Winery will sell beverages and there will be fruit smoothies from Smart Smoothies.

Panacea will sell kombucha and hard kombucha, and Culligan Water will provide drinking water. Guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles.

Wave Transit will run free trolley shuttles between the senior center and the festival all afternoon. In honor of Earth Day, travel on Wave Transit on all routes will be free all day Saturday, April 20 across all services, including RideMICRO and Paratransit.

Leashed pets are welcome in the grassy areas but not inside the tents or in the food area. Only trained service animals may accompany their humans on the Wave Transit bus.

Festival sponsors include Ponysaurus Brewing Co., Wilmington Brewing Co., Fermental Beer & Wine, Good Hops Brewing, Coyle Solar, City of Wilmington Stormwater Services, New Hanover County Parks and Gardens, Heal Our Waterways, Hurricane Kayaks, Great Outdoor Provision Co., Boot Scrap Productions, Cape Fear’s Going Green, Wave Transit, Wilmington Compost Co., Culligan Water, and Modern Sound and Staging.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Organizations that work to preserve the Outer Banks are joining together to celebrate Earth Day.

The Coastal Environmental Educators Network is hosting the 2024 Earth Fair OBX taking place from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head.

Most of the exhibitors will be set up outdoors around the newly renovated visitor center and parking area.

“Join us for an afternoon of learning and fun as we celebrate Earth Day, and ways we can all work together to protect the North Carolina coast,” organizers said.

To be held rain or shine, there is no charge to attend the fair at the park that is home to the tallest living natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First held in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

Organizers have scheduled educational talks, walks and more for the first Ocracoke Earth Day weekend celebration taking place April 19-21.

Ocracoke Alive Inc., a nonprofit organization that encourages and sponsors cultural, artistic, educational and environmental activities, has been working with area groups to coordinate the three days of festivities.

During the three days there will be nature walks, history talks, gardening, nature crafts, live music, stargazing, a village litter cleanup, and informative discussions and presentations about sustainability and solutions. The weekend ends with a community beach fire at Ocracoke’s lifeguard beach.

“We want to strike a balance between celebrating the beauty around us, while also offering discussions about the threats to the coastal environment and learning about practical and sustainable solutions to these threats,” Ocracoke Alive Director David Tweedie said in a release.

Keynote speaker for the weekend is Reide Corbett, executive director of East Carolina University’s Coastal Studies Institute. He is scheduled to present “North Carolina’s Changing Coast: Sea level, Storms, and People” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ocracoke Community Center.

Corbett leads an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff that integrates the fields of engineering, maritime history, natural, and social sciences.

The celebration kicks off at 3:45 p.m. Friday, April 19, with an Earth Day student parade from Ocracoke School library to the Ocracoke Commons at the Island Inn property.

A full schedule is available on Ocracoke Alive’s website, including the following:

Friday, April 19

3:45 p.m. Ocracoke Earth Day Parade from Ocracoke Library to Ocracoke Commons. Those interested in participating should assemble at the library at 3:30 p.m.

4 p.m. Ocracoke Earth Day Welcome/Tour of Island Inn Commons.

5:30 p.m. Meet your Ocracoke fisherman and tour the Ocracoke Seafood Co.

7 p.m. Friday Night Concert featuring Bob and Jeanie Zentz, Deepwater Theater.

8:45 p.m. Stargazing and Celestial Navigation, Lifeguard beach. Bring binoculars if you want.

Saturday, April 20

8 a.m. – Bird walk with Peter Vankevich, NPS Campground parking lot.

8 a.m. – Help planting and beautifying at the British Cemetery, Sundae Horn.

10 a.m. – Trash to Treasure with Ella Ralston, Ocracoke Library

11 a.m. – Student Presentation: Surveying Stream Watch Presentation with Ocracoke eighth grade class, Karen Teklinsky, Community Center.

Noon – Latino Community Migrations to North Carolina, Daniel Velásquez, Community Center.

Noon – Nature and Garden Crafts for Families, Sundae Horn, Ocracoke Community Library.

1 p.m. Local Food and Resilience in Eastern NC: Past, Present, and Future, Carla Norwood and Gabriel Cumming, Community Center.

1 p.m. Trash pickup on Ocracoke Beach.

2 p.m. Ocracoke Ponies: Past and Present, Ocracoke Preservation Society Porch Talk.

3 p.m. Panel Discussion on Ocracoke Sustainability and Solutions Bevin Hardy and Heidi Smith, Community Center.

5 p.m. Green Energy Solutions Gustave Younggren, Community Center.

7 p.m. Keynote Speaker Reide Corbett from Coastal Studies Institute.

8 p.m. Earth Day Open Mic and Dance Party, Deepwater Theater.

Sunday, April 21

8 a.m. Yoga at the Community Square Docks with Desiree Adams.

9 a.m. Island Gardening & Medicinal Herbs with Kate McNally and Joseph Ramunni, Ocracoke Garden Center.

10 a.m. Ocracoke Fig Talk, Sundae Horn & Chester Lynn, Ocracoke Preservation Society.

11 a.m. Shores of Resilience: Navigating Climate Change in Coastal Communities, Bevin Hardy, Community Center.

Noon: Island Pollinators with Denise Deacon, Community Center.

Noon: Trash to Treasure with Ella Ralston, Ocracoke Library.

1:30 p.m. Nature Walk and history talk at Springer’s Point with Kane Lawhorn and Philip Howard.

2 p.m. “Trashion” Show, Ella Ralston, Ocracoke Library.

3:30 p.m. Community Beach Bonfire and Smores, and Earth Day Ocracoke farewell (Rain location: Community Center).

• Webpage.
• Online schedule.
• Printable schedule.

Discover more coastal celebrations and programs at Earth Day 2024. First celebrated in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, Earth Day takes place annually on April 22.

The Sound Rivers team is offering a stroll through the wetlands and has partnered with area breweries to offer post-cleanup afterparties as part of its Earth Day celebration.

The environmental organization is based in Washington and works to protect the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River watersheds.

Learn about how to identify different types of wetlands, why they’re important and why they must be protected with Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and wetland expert David Lekson during the Croatan Wetland Walk 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20.

Organizers recommend close-toed shoes or muck boots that can handle soggy land, long sleeves and bug spray. Bring a bag lunch and meet at Merchant’s Grocery, 1801 Brices Creek Road, New Bern. Registration is required.

For the second year, Sound Rivers has partnered with Pitt Street Brewing on the Pamlico for an Earth Day cleanup. Meet at Havens Gardens, 1001 Park Drive, Washington, from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 21. Following the the Clean Up the Pamlico activity, volunteers can meet for a drink at Pitt Street, 307 Main St., Washington.

Cleanup supplies will be provided for those cleaning up on land. Those who want to clean up by vessels are welcome to bring their own.

Volunteer coordinator Emily Fritz will talk about the state of the Neuse River at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Trent Woods town hall during its Earth Week celebration.

In communities further inland, Sound Rivers will have a presence at the Tick Bite Regatta 1-4 p.m. April 21 at the Grifton boat access, 510 Water St, Grifton, a part of the 52nd annual Grifton Shad Festival.

Fritz is leading a workshop to introduce kids to water quality from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 during Creation Keepers at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kinston. Register online.

A cleanup at Fishing Creek in Oxford is set for 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27. The Fishing Creek watershed is an important habitat for rare aquatic and wetland species, and is a major tributary of the Tar River. When the cleanup ends, there is an afterparty at Tobacco Wood Brewing. Register online.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that it is gearing up for the annual Spring Litter Sweep, April 13-27.

Department officials said the Spring Litter Sweep is one of NCDOT’s roadside litter removal initiatives that “harnesses the power of community engagement to tackle the issue of roadside litter.” NCDOT encourages residents to participate in efforts in their area to help clean up North Carolina’s roads during the two-week period. 

“We’re grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers who step up each year to participate in the litter sweeps,” said David Harris, NCDOT’s Roadside Environmental engineer. “Their commitment to helping us keep our roadsides clean is truly commendable. Their hard work and passion contribute to a cleaner, greener North Carolina for generations to come.”

In addition to volunteers, NCDOT maintenance crews devote a week of their time picking up litter and collecting trash bags that are filled by volunteers, the department said. People interested in volunteering during the Spring Litter Sweep can request gloves, safety vests and bags from their local county maintenance offices. 

For those eager to lend a hand, reach out to your local litter management coordinator to get started.

Check out the Litter Sweep webpage for all the details.