Earth Day events in the Bay Area to get you outside and involved

A garbage can is decorated with children's paint in honor of Earth Day during a celebration at Alum Park in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, April 22, 2018. This year, organizations around the Bay Area are hosting socially-distanced park cleanups, recycling events, and online film screenings. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) — Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group
A garbage can is decorated with children’s paint in honor of Earth Day during a celebration at Alum Park in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, April 22, 2018. This year, organizations around the Bay Area are hosting socially-distanced park cleanups, recycling events, and online film screenings. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

By Tess Joosse | tjoosse@bayareanewsgroup.com | Correspondent

PUBLISHED: April 21, 2021 at 12:07 p.m. | UPDATED: April 22, 2021 at 6:32 a.m.

Earth Day 2021 is Thursday and marks a world-wide celebration of the environment, climate action and conservation. Want to get outside or get involved?

While the coronavirus pandemic stymied celebrations in 2020, many local groups and organizations are holding Earth Day events throughout the week to help Bay Area residents take action safely this year.

Here are seven things you can do to help you feel good about the planet:

1 Earthday.org will present an Earth Day Live global event starting at 9 a.m. Pacific time. The livestream will focus on the theme “Restore our Earth,” with presentations on new green technologies, reforestation, regenerative agriculture, and citizen science. Join young leaders, activists, artists, and musicians for the live event on YouTube.

2 Help the San Jose Department of Parks and Recreation get ready for spring at two park cleanup events on Saturday, April 24. Tools and instructions will be provided — just bring a mask, close-toed shoes and a water bottle. Both cleanups will go from 8:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Register here for the cleanup at Rubino Park and here for the event at Selma Olinder Park.

3 Volunteer at Urban Tilth’s North Richmond Farm on Saturday, April 24. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. plant seeds, paint signs, and help clean up the community farm dedicated to building a more sustainable and just food system in Contra Costa County. Masks are required, and you can register here for the event.

A volunteer cleans up vegetation in Montclair Park during an Earth Day clean up event in 2017 in Oakland, Calif. Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group

4On Sunday, April 25, join the San Lorenzo Valley Museum in Boulder Creek for a Celebrating Earth: Discovering Nature event. From 1:00-3:00 p.m. explore the natural history around the museum and practice nature journalizing. You’ll have a chance to learn how to record and identify species with the iNauturalist app, so bring your mobile device or a journal. The event is free, and masks are required. Registration and more information is available here.

5 Bring your old documents or electronic items to a recycling event. On Sunday, April 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. bring old electronics to the parking lot of the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos (more information is available here). And Half Moon Bay Residents can bring their e-waste and documents for shredding to Smith Field from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. The City of Half Moon Bay is also hosting a “What Goes Where?” workshop via Zoom on Thursday, April 29 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. to learn more about waste sorting at home (more information on both events is available here).

A marsh trail at the Coyote Creek Lagoon Unit of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in Fremont, Calif. Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group

6 Celebrate at home with a Zoom discussion on how to preserve and share public lands and local natural spaces equitably in San Mateo County. Join stewardship organizations, including the San Mateo County Parks Department and the Midpeninsula Open Space District at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 22 for a virtual presentation and conversation. Information and registration is available here.

7 Join Transition Palo Alto on Friday, April 23 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. for a virtual screening and discussion of three short films about the interconnectedness of nature, life, and society. The films are part of the Connectivity Project, a documentary series featuring indigenous elders, scientists, and activists. Information and registration is available here.