Many communities honor the day with local cleanups to pitch in and tidy our streets and parks. In addition to these admirable activities, here are some events entwining entertainment and education to show support for our earth and do our part in keeping it hospitable. This year, Earth Day falls on April 22.
1. Party for the Planet
Lehigh Valley Zoo
April 22 | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | 5150 Game Preserve Rd. | Schnecksville | 610.799.4171 | lvzoo.org
Meet an African penguin and Princess Ariel at the Lehigh Valley Zoo where education on our planet's pressing environmental issues is delivered with a hearty dose of fun! Music, games and crafts help celebrate ongoing efforts to protect the habitats of the creatures sheltered there.
2. Virtual Reality Trip
Nurture Nature Center
April 12–27 | 518 Northampton St., Easton | nurturenaturecenter.org
This series of free programs and activities includes a Native Pollinator Workshop (build a Bee Hotel!), and on NNC's spherical screen, Science on the Sphere: Moon Landing, to remind us how the “Blue Marble” from space inspired the first Earth Day in 1970. A virtual reality headset will take wearers on a trip around the globe to see firsthand how evidence of climate change is gathered.
3. Egg Hunt
City of Allentown
April 13 | Noon–4 p.m. | 1001 N. 6th St., Allentown | allentownpa.gov
This free event presented by the City of Allentown's indispensable Bureau of Recycling and Solid Waste has an Easter theme with an egg hunt and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Food trucks and music make this celebration complete, and of course educational demonstrations help reinforce how we can all help make our planet cleaner.
4. Sustainability Fair
Lehigh University
April 22 | 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | 29 Trembley Dr., Bethlehem | sustainability.lehigh.edu
Live wildlife demonstrations and tree planting at this free event put you up close and personal with fellow denizens of this precious world. Explore booths where vendors from on and off campus explain their approach to sustainability, as well as Lehigh's all-electric bus. With food, crafts and a prize raffle, it's an enjoyable education.
5. Fun at the Farm
Rodale Institute
April 19 | 1–4 p.m. | 611 Siegfriedale Rd., Kutztown | rodaleinstitute.org
What better way to celebrate the earth than by getting it all over you doing farm chores? This free event at Rodale Institute's organic research farm offers the chance to tour its 333 acres and help get ready for the growing season with planting, weeding or animal care. Dress for mess and see if you don't get the gardening bug! Pre-registration is required.
