Celebrate Earth Day: Today and Every Day
4/20/2022 - Minnesota.
Springtime in Minnesota means one thing: we’re all itching to get back outside after those cold, dreary winter days. Earth Day (April 22) provides a fantastic opportunity to get outdoors and re-connect with nature.
Our team rounded up five ways you can celebrate Earth Day today (and every day):
1) Volunteer at an Event
Whether it’s you, your family, your friends, or your work colleagues—we’ve got the perfect opportunity for you to get outside and restore Minnesota’s natural areas. You can help us remove invasive plants like buckthorn and garlic mustard, which are harmful to habitats, or plant native grasses and flowers to revitalize an ecosystem. We provide the tools and training—no prior experience is necessary. Click below to see the many ways to volunteer throughout the state of Minnesota.
2) Donate a Living Legacy Tree
Get a jump start on Arbor Day by donating a Living Legacy Tree. Planting trees protects water quality, sequesters carbon, and provides sustenance for native wildlife. Help beautify your surroundings and ensure clean air by planting a tree—or even better, let us do the hard work. Donate a $25 Living Legacy Tree in honor or memory of a loved one this Earth Day and know that your thoughtful gift will have a direct impact on Great River Greening project sites across the state of Minnesota.
3) Convert a Patch of Your Lawn to Pollinator-friendly Habitat
Do you get tired of constantly mowing your lawn and making sure it’s finely manicured? You could convert your lawn into a pollinator lawn, or bee lawn. Or, if you’re only looking to transform a patch of turf, you can create a pocket pollinator garden. Pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and moths, have experienced population declines in recent years. Planting native flowers and grasses, even if it’s only in a small patch of your yard, can provide food and nesting space for our pollinator friends. You can learn more about DIY pollinator habitat or you can join one of our volunteer events to plant pollinator-friendly grasses and wildflowers at a Minnesota natural area.
4) Inspire Someone
Dig deeper into the history of Earth Day and share what you learn with others, become a star volunteer, or inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Great River Greening launched an educational initiative in 2022—Future Stewards—that will teach youth the science of restoration and the benefits of spending time in nature.
5) Support Great River Greening’s Spring Fundraising Campaign
Did you know by restoring green spaces and waterways—as we’ve done alongside thousands of volunteers since our start in 1995—we’re also fighting the harmful effects of climate change in our community?
Your gift to the spring fundraising campaign funds important restoration work that both transforms Minnesota’s natural areas and protects our delicate climate.
Note: The blog post was updated to correct out-dated links and information on 4/12/2024.