Earth Day 2023 In Arlington: Things To Know And Do

ARLINGTON, MA — Fifty-three years ago Saturday, planet warriors staged the first Earth Day, a celebration of eco-consciousness that now takes place in more than 190 countries and has grown to become the most widely observed nonreligious holiday in history.

There are plenty of ways to observe Earth Day, from parades and parties to cleanups, rallies and workshops. Here’s what’s going on in Arlington — if you know of anything else going on, post them or steer organizers to our events calendar.

• Save the Alewife Brook is hosting an Earth Day Trash Cleanup along the Alewife Greenway this Saturday, April 22 at 9:15 a.m. at the Thorndike Dog Park. Free t-shirts and vegan fish-shaped candies and stickers will be provided. Attendees can take a brief tour of the Combined Sewer Outfalls. And we are hoping to have a brass marching band and a GHOST FISH art installation. This is all provided the weather is reasonably comfortable and there’s no hard rain.
• The Friends of Spy Pond Park needs five to six people to plant native shrubs in the Park on April 22, 2023, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. This is part of an on-going project to replace invasive plants with native plants. We will meet at the parking lot area at the end of Pond Lane. The holes for the shrubs will have been dug and fertilized the week prior. There will be six to nine shrubs to be planted. If time permits, we could dig more holes for future planting. Please notify Lally Stowell of your interest and she will let you know whether or not we’ve reached our maximum of 6 volunteers: [email protected]. Please download a copy of this Waiver to be signed by an adult. Parents must sign for folks under age 18. The signed Waivers must be presented at arrival.
• The Friends of the Robbins Town Gardens will be having a work day on Saturday, April 22 in the Town Garden (between the Town Hall and the library), from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. They will be clearing up leaves and twigs left over from the winter and mulching the garden beds. Anyone who would like to help out with this work is welcome. People are advised to wear, gardening gloves, a hat, long pants, and long sleeves. Participants are also advised to bring water, bug spray, and well labeled tools.
• On Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the city is holding an Invasives Removal and Cleanup event at Arlington Reservoir. Join us for an hour or more. Starting at 9 a.m. Walk the Reservoir afterward! Attacking Invasives- Rake the water chestnut seeds from the side of the Reservoir and pull from Mill Brook! Clip Oriental Bittersweet or pull Garlic Mustard! Bring your own gardening gloves, and tools (clippers clippers and shovels or rakes) , good boots for walking the shore, if you have them. clippers and shovels or rakes, If not, we will have extra tools.

More About Earth Day

The modern environmental movement that began 53 years ago has brought about a sea change in how Americans view climate change, and many now regard it as an existential crisis. This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet,” a prod to governments, businesses, institutions and the 1 billion Earth Day participant to devote their resources to fighting climate change.

Earth Week officially kicked off Friday. A live series continuing through the week touches on a variety of urgent issues, from climate restoration, regenerative agriculture, environment and social justice, supply chain resilience, plastic pollution, resource scarcity, food security, the green economy, biodiversity restoration, universal climate literacy, and others.

Panelists range from public and private sector leaders to activists, scientists, influencers and beyond. Here is the schedule for the Earth Day live events scheduled to take place during Earth Week:

Local Earth Day celebrations are planned widely in the United States and around the world. Flagship U.S. Earth Day events include:

• A 5,000-volunteer-strong trash and debris cleanup from Hurricane Ian in Cape Coral, Florida;
• An Earth Day Jubilee hosted by Heal the Bay in Santa Monica, California;
• A rally to end the era of fossil fuels at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.; and
• A Pledge to Our Keiki Dive and cleanup, mobilizing about 700 volunteer divers across the Hawaiian Islands. Also, more than 20,000 volunteers are expected for 800 other events organized by 400 nonprofits to raise awareness of global pollution to the ecosystem.

Here are some things you can do on your own:

1. Don’t Drive; Walk Or Bike Instead

Did you know that parking the car and walking or biking to where you need to get in Arlington would significantly reduce your carbon footprint?

That’s according to an Imperial College London study published in the journal Global Environmental Change. The study, the first to look at how lifestyle changes can reduce carbon emissions, found that was the case even in European cities where many people already walk and cycle to their destinations.

2. Plant Some Trees

If everyone in Arlington joined with billions of others and planted a tree, an area the size of the United States could be reforested, increasing the world’s tree canopy by a third without disrupting agriculture or city development, and blotting out about 100 years of carbon emissions.

That’s according to “The global tree restoration potential,” the first study ever to look at how many trees the planet can support.

“Our study clearly shows that forest reforestation is the best climate change solution available today,” lead author of the study, ETH Zürich researcher Tom Crowther, said in a statement to National Geographic.

However, National Geographic said it could take more than 100 years to add enough mature forest to achieve significant carbon reduction, especially as about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide — the result of burning fossil fuels — are added to the atmosphere every year, Glen Peters, research director at Norway’s Center for International Climate Research, told National Geographic.

3. Don't Buy Fast Fashion

The average American discards 80 pounds of clothing a year, and 85 percent of it ends up in landfills, where the material used to make it produces methane. Although carbon dioxide has a longer lasting effect on climate change, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

One way to offset that is to stop buying cheap, trendy fashion that goes out of style quickly, according to Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. It’s often shipped from low-wage countries overseas, so the use of fossil fuels to get it here also adds to a person’s individual carbon footprint.

A more sustainable approach is to buy higher-quality, U.S.-manufactured clothing. Or even better, Columbia Climate School advises, buy vintage or recycled clothing at thrift and consignment stores around Arlington or upcycle unwanted clothing in some other way.