#bioPGH Blog: Celebrating Earth Day in Pittsburgh

By Lorren Kezmoh, Outreach Coordinator, Phipps Science Education and Research

This Fri., April 22 will mark the 46th annual celebration of Earth Day in the United States. Check out last week’s blog for the history of Earth Day, as this week we’ll be highlighting the unique Earth Day events taking place throughout the City of Pittsburgh! In honor of this environment-centric observance, the City of Pittsburgh is hosting a citywide celebration, “dedicated to educating, inspiring, and celebrating sustainability in the region; and, honoring the transformation from Pittsburgh’s Steel City past to a thriving home for green innovation, LEED certified development, farm to table initiatives and environmentally-friendly events, Pittsburgh Earth Day honors the collaboration of businesses, community organizations and green purveyors that are changing the landscape of our region.” All Earth Day festivities throughout the city on Friday, April 22 are free and open to the public and will include: a world market featuring local vendors specializing in Earth-friends products and services, educational opportunities and musical entertainment in Market Square from 11 AM until 5 PM; a ‘Solar Powered Food Truck Festival’ on 10th Street from 11 AM until 2 PM;  ‘Bluegrass Concert & Market’ in Mellon Square from 11 AM until 2 PM; and a ‘Art + Artifact Market’ at the Convention Center from 5 PM until 9 PM. In addition to these festivities, on Friday, April 22 Phipps will also be hosting an Environmental Film Festival, featuring the short documentary films The Power of One Voice, on the work of Rachel Carson, and Sustainability Pioneers, on the world’s transition toward renewable energy and sustainable living, from 7 until 9 PM, that is included in the cost of admission for Conservatory visitors; and Pittsburgh Park’s Conservancy will hosting a community camp fire in Frick Park. But the festivities don’t end there! The celebration will continue throughout the city, our local parks and right here at Phipps Conservatory through the weekend. A full list of Earth Day activities and schedule of events can be found on the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Phipps websites! But, the celebration doesn’t end after Earth Day, in fact, there are several local organizations across Pittsburgh that continue to connect people with nature throughout the year! For more information on these organizations visit Phipps’ Biophilia Directory.

Connecting to the Outdoors Tip: In addition to celebrating the earth and all of its environments and creatures, don’t forget to do your share to help preserve and conserve it! Doing something as simple as planting native or non-invasive sustainable plants, sorting recyclables from trash and compostable materials, and picking up any litter you happen to come across on a walk are all small gestures that can have big impacts on environmental health and wellness. While you may doubt the impact that one person might have on the planet consider this: by planting common milkweed in your garden you’re providing each monarch butterfly a potential location to lay a clutch of up to one-hundred eggs, thereby directly helping increase the monarch butterfly population; by picking up improperly discarded trash from the sidewalk you’re not only beautify the environment you’re directly protecting several local and distant species from accidentally ingesting or becoming entrapped in that material and improving overall water quality; and, by sharing your knowledge, or something that you find out in the natural world such as a frog, flower or insect, with a little one you are directly perpetuating the importance of environmental health, wellness and literacy for the next generation. If you have little ones, get them excited for all of the Earth Day festivities that await them this week by trying one, or several, of these fun Earth Day activities for kids, as well as adults, from Hoosier Homemade!

While you’re out and about, don’t forget to document it. A photo could win you a one year membership to Phipps Conservatory! From now until 10 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 17 if you post a photo of something amazing that you discovered in one of Western Pennsylvania’s many natural spaces, along with a brief caption explaining how this image inspires you to care for the earth, to Instagram using the hashtag #bioPGH you will automatically be entered into Phipps’ #bioPGH Earth Day Discovery Contest! Three winners will be chosen by Phipps to receive a complementary one year membership and have their pictures displayed in the Welcome Center during our Earth Day Celebration from Fri., April 22 – Mon., April 25.

Continue the Conversation: Share your nature discoveries with our community by posting to Twitter and Instagram with hashtag #bioPGH, and R.S.V.P. to attend our next Biophilia: Pittsburgh meeting.

Additional Resources:
#bioPGH Blog: The History of Earth Day
Pittsburgh Earth Day Events – City of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Earth Day – Steel to Sustainable – Facebook
Earth Day Celebration – Phipps Conservatory
Earth Day in Frick Park – Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Earth Day Activities for Kids – UPMC MyHealth Matters
Biophilia Network – Phipps Conservatory
Biophilia Directory – Phipps Conservatory
Sylvania Natives
2016 Top 10 Sustainable Plants – Phipps Conservatory
How to Give a Hand to Monarch Butterflies – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Earth Day Activities for Kids – Hoosier Homemade

Select photos © Paul g. Wiegman