Specials and events for Earth Day and Arbor Day in Columbus

Everything that we have comes from the Earth, one way or another. Celebrate those gifts and give back with these Earth Day specials and events in Columbus, including volunteer opportunities, free food, parties, kids’ activities, and so much more!

Earth Day in Columbus

Volunteer with Green Columbus

Month of April. Dozens of Earth Day Volunteer opportunities in the weeks leading up to and including Earth Day.

Annual Earth Day Celebration at Genoa Park

This free family-friendly event will feature local music, food, and drinks from a diverse array of vendors on April 23, 12-9pm at Genoa Park.

Hillard Earth Day

April 15, 2023 at Franklin County Fairgrounds.

Thanks to a partnership with the Franklin County Fairgrounds and Franklin County 4-H Council Walk and Serve, the Environmental Sustainability Commission (Go Green Hilliard) will be hosting a bigger, better, more impactful Earth Day on the Franklin County Fairgrounds in 2023!

See activities at the website, including walk/run, recycling events, workshops, and more.

National Park Week

National Park Week Free free day on April 22 and other themed activities from April 22-30, 2023. Details here.

Earth Month in Dublin

The city of Dublin has a full schedule of celebrating and serving for Earth Month. Some activities may apply to residents only. See website for details.

Saturday, April 15: MLK Civic Service Series for a day of service to the community
Saturday, April 22: Earth Day Community Planting at Ferris-Wright Park
Saturday, April 22: Document Destruction Day from 9 a.m. to noon at City of Dublin Fleet Building, 6351 Shier Rings Road. Details.
Saturday, April 22: Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This drive-thru event helps keep medication out of our water system and limits drug abuse in our community. Visit the Dublin Justice Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to participate. (This is a national event, so e-cigarette and vaping devices are accepted, as well.)
Saturday, April 29: Arbor Day Tree Planting in Stonefield Park, 5467 Earlington Parkway. Free seeds, forestry experts, and more

April 28-May 1: City Nature Challenge
Participate in community science through the City Nature Challenge. Using the iNaturalist app, take photos in Dublin parks and public spaces and see if you can identify specific plants and animals.

This four-day global bioblitz connects people to nature in their community. Data collected will be verified and made available for research purposes. Contact sesala@dublin.oh.us for more details.

Keep Dublin Green Kits: Park clean-up kits are available for groups looking to give back. The kits include trash and recycle bags, gloves, safety vests, a scavenger hunt for kids, and even a selfie stick. Click here to reserve a kit, while supplies last.

DCRC is hosting other fun events to celebrate being outdoors. Check website for details and registration for the below activities and more Spring fun.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Earth Day local events

(see more)

Alum Creek Earth Day Campground Cleanup and Tree Planting

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PMHelp clean up the campground, the camp trails, and plant tree seedlings. Meet at the campground amphitheater at 2911 S. Old State Rd. Delaware, OH 43015. Park in the camp store parking lot, there is a small path on back end of the parking lot that leads to the amphitheater. All supplies will be provided. Feel free to join us for lunch afterwards – roasted hotdogs over a campfire.

Earth Day Seed Bombs at Hocking Hills

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM at Old Man’s Cave Visitor Center
Come create seed bombs to encourage wildflower growth. Take your seed bomb home or add your seeds to our Pollinator Patch here at the park. Meet at the Pollinator Patch behind the Old Man’s Cave Visitor Center. Be prepared to get dirty.

Vernal Pool Exploration at Hocking Hills

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 2 PM – 4:00 PM
Join us for a 2-mile around Rose Lake and see what critters are waking up at the edge of the lake. Meet at the Fisherman’s Parking Lot on 374 South just past the walk-in campsites. Be prepared for mud and the possibility of getting wet.

Sustainability Rocks at Alum Creek

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 2 PM – 4 PM
Visit the nature center to learn about why sustainability is so important and sustainable practices. Bug nets will also be available to borrow. Meet at the Nature Center at 2911 S. Old State Rd. Delaware, OH 43015. Park in the Camp Store parking lot – nature center is located behind the camp store, down the road.

Earth Day Celebration at Lynd’s Fruit Farm

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10 am – 5 pm
Celebrate Earth Day by learning from experts about planning your native gardening.

Fruit trees available for purchase (pre-sale suggested). Kids can make and fly their own kites ($5). Enjoy the music of Barefoot McCoy from 11-2 and dine from Schmidts Food Truck Birds of prey will be on display from 11-1. More details.

Northstar Café

FREE veggie burger for Earth Day on April 22, 2023– all day, at any location. Details here.

Brassica

On April 22, 2023, get a FREE falafel from Brassica – all day, at any location. Details here.

Green Bexley Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Green Bexley and Bexley’s Tree & Public Gardens Commission join forces on April 22, 2023 for the Earth and Arbor Days Celebration from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at Schneider Park, a former landfill which now is part of a long trail system and houses the Bexley Community Gardens.

This year, we’re celebrating one earth, one trillion trees; this concept marries the values of both organizations with the idea that one trillion trees can combat the climate crisis, regeneratively.

The event will have fun, hands-on activities for kids and the whole family and will be an opportunity to learn more about taking care of our planet and arboretum! Details here.

Columbus Zoo Earth Day Celebration: Party for the Planet

Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, 2023

There will be lots of Earth Day activities focusing on conservation, including games, crafts, Animal Enrichment, Character Ambassadors and Meet & Greets, and more! Watch the animals receive special Earth Day treats and enrichment throughout the day. Details here.

Chadwick Arboretum Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebrations

Arbor Day Celebration: Friday, April 28, 2023

The Arbor Day celebration features the dedication of newly planted trees and award presentations including the Tree Hero Award, Collaborator’s Awards, and Aesculus Lifetime Achievement Awards.

This event takes place rain or shine under the Kottman Hall Patio. Convenient parking for $2.50/hour is located at the Plumb Hall Parking Lot, next to Plumb Hall. Details here.

Happy Climate Workshop with OSU Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 3 pm – 4 pm at Hagerty Hall Room 180

This workshop explores behavioral changes that can reduce your personal carbon footprint while also increasing your happiness.

In a supportive environment, you will work in small teams to create personalized action plans for cutting carbon in ways that produce a net benefit for happiness. Drawing on key lessons from behavioral science, this workshop aims to empower people to reflect on their own habits and generate thoughtful new approaches to achieve a happier and more sustainable world.

The program is FREE; register here.

Children’s Garden Day at Inniswood Metro Park

Sunday, April 30, 2023 from 2-4pm.

Join us for Children’s Garden Day where we will explore the science of rainbows, journey through the water cycle, enjoy colorful garden activities, and visit with baby animals from Slate Run Farm. Details here.

ODNR Nature Games

This Earth week, enjoy exploring the great outdoors with these three ODNR nature games!

Subaru TerraCycle Zero-Waste® Box program

Subaru helps keep hard-to-recycle trash out of landfills and turning it into useful things for our community, like park benches, bike racks, and flower pots. Since 2018, this partnership has kept over 5,000,000 pieces of trash out of local landfills with the TerraCycle Zero-Waste® Box

Deposit your hard-to-recycle trash in the TerraCycle bins at Subaru retailers anytime throughout the year. The accepted items include:

Disposable cups, lids, and straws
Candy and snack wrappers
Coffee, tea, and creamer capsules

Let us know of other Earth Day celebrations, events, and deals…and check out more in the calendar below!