DIY Earth Day

NJSWEP members -

For us, and probably for many of you, the outdoors has always provided a welcome escape from the stress of life.  However, this past year, time spent outdoors has taken on a new, deeper meaning as a retreat from working from home and distance learning.  Earth Day is April 22nd.  Let’s give back to the environment, in whatever way feels right for you this year.  We've put together a list of both in-person and virtual events that you can do on your own or participate with friends and family members. 

• Clean Ocean Action is having their Spring Beach Sweeps on Saturday, April 17th from 9am to 12:30pm. They will be holding beach cleanups throughout the entire state of NJ while following social distancing and COVID safety protocols. Advanced signup is required. For more information, check out their website: http://www.cleanoceanaction.org

• The Hopatcong Environmental Commission is sponsoring Earth Day Trail Hike at Lake Hopatcong on April 17th from 1-3pm. For more details and registration, visit: https://www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org/events/earth-day-trail-hike-6063d1f4978083.43607836
• Raritan Headwaters Association is having their annual stream cleanup on April 17th from 9am to noon. There are various site locations and registration is required. Visit the website: https://www.raritanheadwaters.org/stream-cleanup for details and registration information

Not available on April 17th? No problem!

• NJ Fish & Wildlife is doing a native tree sapling give-a-way on April 22nd & 23rd from 11am to 2pm. Pickup is at the Pequest Trout Hatchery. See this flyer for more information: https://www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/2021/tree_giveaway21.pdf
• Surfrider NJ hosts year-long, monthly coastal cleanups. They have already started and go until December. The cleanups are in broken up into two shifts (morning and afternoon) and are limited to 20 participants/shift. Advanced signup is required. You can check out their upcoming cleanups and locations on their website: https://jerseyshore.surfrider.org/beach-clean-ups
• The NJ Audubon has a ton of upcoming events that include birding, nature walks, gardening, yoga and more. Pre-registration is required and some programs have fees associated with them. To check out all their events, visit: https://njaudubon.org

Not ready to get back to in-person events yet? We've got you covered!

• PSE&G Institute for Sustainability Studies and Montclair Climate Action have planned Montclair Earth Week 2021. Virtual programming will run from April 19th to April 22nd. To check out those virtual programs, visit their site: https://www.montclair.edu/pseg-sustainability-institute
• Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program is running the virtual webinar series "Earth Day Every Day" on Monday evenings at 6:30pm. The link to register and view previous sessions is: https://envirostewards.rutgers.edu/Earth-Day.html
• The American Museum of Natural History is sponsoring EarthFest Online on April 22nd from 11am to 8pm. Various video programs include discussions on conservation, effects of climate change on sea life, animal tales, and even an online dance party! For details and schedule, visit: https://www.amnh.org/calendar/earthfest

Still not sure? New Jersey Earth Week 2021 has a list of events going on around the state starting on April 17th and running until April 25th. https://world.350.org/newjersey/nj-earth-week-2021

To stay connected, we’d love to see how you chose to celebrate Earth Day! Snap a photo or two and email them to melissa.a.dulinski@njit.edu. We’ll create an NJSWEP DIY Earth Day social media post with your photos.

Sincerely,

Melissa Dulinski, NJSWEP Programs Committee Chair

Melanie Powers-Schanbacher, NJSWEP Golf Event Chair