The EarthPage - April: Earth Month

Our monthly newsletter "The EarthPage" just went out and we've included some ideas on what to do to celebrate Earth Month.  We have a full calendar with more being added all the time, so be sure to check back for more things coming up this month.

1. Help clean up or restore a park in your neighborhood

This April is the fifth anniversary of Earth Month! In 2003, when EarthCorps proposed the idea of extending Earth Day into first a week, then a whole month of environmental volunteering, people scoffed. One funder after another denied our requests for sponsorship on the grounds that it wasn't feasible. Finally, The Boeing Company and a dozen individual donors stepped forward to help make it happen. In 2004, we held our first Earth Month, and ushered in the Green Seattle Partnership.

This April, we're planning to work with 2,800 volunteers at 21 projects in nine cities!

Click here for the complete story and a park in your area you can help with.

2. Learn more about the environmental challenges we face and what can be done

Check out  internationally renowned scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster Dr. David Suzuki reading from and discussing his new book, The Big Picture: Reflections on Science, Humanity, and a Quickly Changing Planet on April 7th.

See our calendar for details.

3. Help Save the Duwamish River

Duwamish Alive! is a chance for people to give back to Seattle's river. On Saturday, April 18, hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers will roll up their sleeves to help restore the Duwamish River. Join volunteers to help restore this culturally significant property and help in the effort to transform this area into a park preserve for the local community.  Event activities include planting, invasive weed removal and other restoration projects.

Click here for more on the event.

4. Become a citizen-scientist and conduct a bird survey in an Important Bird Area

Like canaries in coal mines, birds across America are giving early warning signs of what climate change portends for our landscapes and, ultimately, ourselves, according to new reports issued in February by the National Audubon Society and Audubon Washington.

Click here for the complete article about birds and climate change (and what it means for us humans as well) and more on doing a bird survey.

5. Keep it local and green

See what your Puget Sound neighborhood is doing to become a sustainable community or check out your zip code for Earth Month events in your neck of the woods.  You can act locally and make a big impact- so why not find out what's happening in your walking or biking area?