The best Earth Day events in NYC

Nature is everywhere—even in the midst of New York City’s urban sprawl. Join a Brooklyn Brainery–hosted walk through Carroll Gardens to learn to identify different trees by their bark, buds, leaves and overall shape. Once you know how to look for them, you’ll start spotting linden, maple and ash trees all over the city.

Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Maxim Pierre

Skip the line at Trader Joe’s and learn how to whip up an organic meal from your own, er, terrace during this “5K” walking tour. You’ll be trekking to green sites all over NYC (that’s where the 5K comes in), such as the Lowline Lab, an underground garden on the Lower East Side, and an eco-conscious hotel that plants brussel sprouts on its special green roof. Natural Gourmet Institute provides a delicious, nutrient-packed lunch to fuel your hike. Participants will recieve exact locations after registration.

The New York Botanical Gardenis giving you one more reason to spring to the Bronx: a brand-new exhibit by Dale Chihuly. The renowned artist will be making the garden's 250 acres of budding flowerbeds, stunning vistas and Victorian-style glass conservatory even more dazzling with his famed glass sculptures. As light and colors interact with the near-translucent geometric pieces, the already gorgeous environment will gain a new life. Chihuly runs starting on Earth Day through October 29, giving you ample opportunity to see the exhibit with the changing seasons as a backdrop.

Helping the environment doesn’t have to feel like a chore—it can be a celebration! At Earth Day Initiative’s awesome block party in Union Square, you can learn about environmental campaigns while trying eco-friendly products and listening to local bands. Do your part by bringing any used clothing and electronics for the Department of Sanitation to repurpose. And if you’re feeling peckish, snack on samples of healthy sustainable grub from loads of vendors. 

Find out how to make caring for the environment fun at this family-friendly celebration. Kick things off with a scavenger hunt through the museum’s Activist New York exhibit, then design your own eco-friendly planter to take home. The museum will also have plenty of healthy snacks on hand, in case you work up an appetite with all that environmentalism.

What better place to celebrate nature’s beauty than the sprawling lawns and vibrant greenhouses at the New York Botanical Garden? Get inspired by the early spring blooms, then learn to capture their beauty in a paper cutting class taught by silhouette artist Jenny Lee Fowler. Bouquets will eventually wilt and die, but the one-of-a-kind art you create will last forever.

Sourcing local, seasonal ingredients not only celebrates the regional fruits and vegetables from your area, but also helps reduce pollution. The shorter distance your food has to travel from farm to table, the less fuel required. On Earth Day, Eataly’s La Scuola will offer a four-course meal inspired by the locally sourced produce from NYC’s Greenmarket. Incredible Italian food that just so happens to be environmentally friendly? Count us in.