Celebrate Earth Day with these fun and educational events in Merced
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- Merced hosts multiple Earth Day events April 11 and April 22 with community activities.
- Events feature compost giveaways, creek cleanups, pollinator planting and education.
- UC Merced festival includes Smart Farm tours, farmer’s market, and film screening.
Since 1970, the United States has recognized Earth Day each year on April 22. The day serves as a reminder of the birth of the environmental movement in the 1960s and ’70s, and according to the nonprofit EarthDay.Org, “to broaden, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.
There are a number of events in Merced County to celebrate Earth Day, including efforts to beautify the natural environment locally.
First, on April 11, Merced County Regional Waste Authority is hosting a day of “fun and learning” from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m at the Highway 59 Landfill.
There will be a demonstration of vermiculture composting — compost that uses worms — recycling education, and free oil pans for home oil changes.
The event will host informational booths, including by UC Merced Master Gardeners, the city of Merced, and Waste Management. Attendees can collect a cubic yard of free compost to take home, with proof of residency in Merced County. In order to collect compost, you must bring your own tools and bags or containers to fill.
Also taking place on April 11 is East Merced Resource Conservation District’s Earth Day Celebration at Rahilly Park in Merced. The event is focused on improving the area by cleaning up Black Rascal Creek and planting a pollinator garden. The celebration and clean up will include educational booths and activities and “family-friendly opportunities to learn about conservation,” according to the event page.
Next, on April 22, UC Merced will host its annual Earth Day Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will take place on Pavillion Lawn and will include booths and activities from other UC Merced departments including: Dining Services, Basic Needs, the Associated Students of UC Merced, and the University’s Smart Farm. The Smart Farm is a 40-acre research facility dedicated to advancing agricultural innovation, sustainability, and education.
Attendees can expect games, a farmer’s market, plenty of food and drink, photo opportunities, wagon tours, and a robotics display presentation from the UC Merced Smart Farm.
In the evening, the university will host a screening of the 2023 documentary, “Common Ground” which focuses on regenerative agriculture and soil health as climate solutions. The film features a local Merced County Farmer, giving it special relevance here.
If you are looking for more ways to celebrate Earth Day this month, EarthDay.org has a series of guides to help people take action for the environment. The list includes activities, such as organizing clean-ups and community meetings as well as individual actions like consuming plant-based meals and planting pollinator gardens. More information about ways to take action is available at: www.earthday.org/action/.
