HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Earth Day is celebrated every year as a global event on April 22. The holiday, first held in 1970, is the largest observance in the world which caters to preserving a clean, habitable Earth.
The Hampton Roads community is participating in their own way, not just on April 22, but throughout the week and the week after.
Starting off in Norfolk, The Elizabeth River Trail is hosting “Celebrate Trails Day” on Saturday, April 24. The event will start with a ribbon-cutting on the trial’s first signature trailhead at Plum Point Park at 10 a.m. Officials will follow up the event with free activities throughout the day.
In Virginia Beach, the program Keep It Beachy Clean, is hosting an Earth Day Beach Cleanup all around Virginia Beach as part of the “We’re Open” campaign. The event is co-hosted by the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, Virginia Beach Restaurant Association, Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lynnhaven River NOW, and Eco Maniac Company.
The event is slated for April 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The City of Virginia Beach has also put out a list of local events and places to visit to commemorate the event. From visiting the Virginia Aquarium, to supporting local businesses in the area, you can do your part in protecting and restoring local and natural resources, and businesses.
The website My Active Child has compiled a list of virtual and in-person activities parents, kids, and the whole family can participate in.
Some of these activities include:
- Earth Day Multi-Day Celebration at The Virginia Living Museum (Newport News)
- Earth Day Cleanup Old Towne Portsmouth (Portsmouth)
- EdZoocation: Earth Day at the Virginia Zoo (Norfolk)
- Earth Day Scavenger Hunt at IKEA (Norfolk)
- Planet or Plastic? – Urban Farming for Earth Day at Nauticus (Norfolk)
- Arbor Day Celebration – Native Tree Giveaway (Portsmouth)
