WNY Earth Day

Immerse yourself in nature this Earth Day with a scenic hike at Chestnut Ridge Park, where you can use your smartphone to contribute to conservation efforts. Explore lush woodlands and rolling hills while aiding in the preservation of local flora and fauna. The group will be meeting at the Chestnut Ridge Park Casino at 10AM on Sunday, April 21st. Register for the event here.

You are invited to attend the Johnnie B. Wiley Earth Day Celebration event featuring recycling, new tech displays, green job info, giveaways, food, and as award ceremony, all aimed at inspiring ways we can better protect our health and our planet. The event will be held from 5:00-7:30 PM on April 22 at 1100 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, NY.

Do you often walk along or visit our local beaches? Cladophora is a type of stringy (filamentous) algae that grows on rocks, wood, logs, and other hard underwater surfaces in freshwater ecosystems, including Lake Erie. If you spot this type of stringy algae along New York's Great Lakes beaches and shorelines, or don’t, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to know throughout the year. Learn more and access the reporting form here: https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/lakes-rivers/great-lakes/cladophora

Learn about nature and the environment by checking out a book, eBook, or audiobook from the Library.

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that are often missed during clean-ups because of their size. Join Broken Plastics in removing microplastics from the environment. You can learn more about the impact of microplastics by visiting brokenplastics.org

Cut out one single-use product in your life for a month. Some examples include:

1. not buying/drinking from bottled water, switch to refill water bottles instead

2. not using plastic wrap to preserve food, switch to reusable food containers/beeswax wrap instead

3. not using plastic dental floss, switch to biodegradable and refillable ones instead.

4. not using paper towels, switch to reusable kitchen towels or swedish dishcloth instead.

Check out the Library's helpful guide to the area's parks and trails

Check out www.tinyurl.com/roadsaltstory  to learn more about how road salt and deicers can impact water quality.

Erie County Community Climate Action Planning invites you to choose any/all of three Challenges:

1. Watch the Climate Ambassador Program video
2. Sign up to be an ambassador
3. Schedule a meeting with DEP staff to talk about Erie County Climate Action

Visit Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.

Join us for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's annual Spring Sweep and collect data on the litter removed from our watershed alongside volunteers in WNY and throughout the entire Great Lakes region! Learn more on the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper website.

Make a donation of clothing or household items at the community donation center located at the store on behalf of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Make your own reusable, washable bag out of an old t-shirt. No sewing required! Instructions.

You are eligible if you participated in Erie County's 2024 rain barrel painting contest

The 2024 I BIRD NY Challenge is open to all ages and ends on Nov. 1, 2024. To complete the Challenge, participants must identify 10 bird species of their choosing and submit a challenge sheet to NYSDEC. Challenge sheets may be submitted online via Survey Monkey or sent via email or mail. All participants will be awarded a commemorative patch, given a completion certificate, and entered into a drawing for great birding prizes from NYS.

Register to drop off your old paint at our free May 4th collection event in Williamsville. Click here to register: https://circular.eco/event/ECCNORTH54?s=qr 

Learn how to take care of your lawn and sign the Healthy Lawns Pledge

Take a photo of you participating in one of the Earth Day Challenge Activities and submit the photo on the submissions form.

Switch over to an energy efficient low flow showerhead. Take a picture either during the process or after of your new showerhead! Then submit that photo on the submissions form. To learn more, watch PUSH Green's video about it! Link to the challenge video is here: https://fb.watch/qVs8zGikKW/

Go to erie.gov/recycling and find out how to properly dispose of any household hazardous waste.

Take your hazardous waste to Hazman or register to attend our next special drop-off event on April 13th.

Safely enjoy the Total Solar Eclipse from wherever you are on April 8 with Eclipse Glasses courtesy of Erie County. Glasses are available at Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries while supplies last.

Visit a small local business

Attend the Tifft Nature Preserve Earth Day Market on April 27

Visit the pollinator mural at 7 Warren Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217, find the hidden pollinators, take your photo with it, and upload your photos with your submission page or share on social media with the hashtag #savethebeeswny

Pelion Outdoor Classroom is hosting Earth Month Chores every SATURDAY in April 10am-noon to get the garden cleaned up and safe again for classes/clubs to resume. Please join us any Saturday in April to Tend, Love, and do Chores in our patch of Earth. Tasks will vary as the soil thaws; but may include: clearing apiary zone, digging out invasive trees and vines, starting seeds, organizing shed and storage, potting up tree saplings, possibly clearing out material in preparation of bulk trash date and others TBD. No skills necessary. More info here.

Volunteer to steward Tifft Nature Preserve's habitats by attending the Tifft Stewardship Volunteer Day on April 21. Registration required.

Before having your lawn sprayed for pesticides please watch this video.

Erie County Healthy Lawns

Watch the video of the virtual Septic Smart for Lake Erie workshop to learn more about how your septic system works and how to maintain it to protect water quality and save you money. https://www4.erie.gov/septicsmart/workshops