While every day is a great day to be kind to Mother Nature, April 22nd is an especially great day to show appreciation! This year marks the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, a global celebration of fostering the beautiful world we call home. Every tree. Bodies of water both big and small. All animals - from invisible microorganisms to larger-than-life giraffes. We only get one Earth, so check out these things to do on Earth Day in Fairfax County in a fun and environmentally-friendly way!
Green Reston
April 13, 2024
Photo Courtesy of Reston Community Center's Facebook
Get together with Reston Community Center at the plaza in front of RCC Hunters Woods for a fun and eco-friendly family event to celebrate Mother Earth. Learn from local organizations about how to protect our home planet through valuable information about resources and programs dedicated to the cause. The best part is that families can also engage in Green Reston activities right in their neighborhoods! Share your experiences anytime between April 1 and 15 using the hashtag #GreenReston on social media platforms for a chance to win an exciting prize! Learn more details here.
Earth Day Extravaganza
April 14, 2024
Join the Youth Advisory Board's exciting outdoor event honoring our planet! Earth Day Extravaganza is a joyful celebration of Earth featuring interactive activities, games, an exhibition of recycled art, fascinating science presentations, a nature hike, and much more at the Children's Science Center Lab. Hurry and secure your spot by registering now, as registration is limited to the first 250 attendees!
Earth Day Festival
April 20, 2024
Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Government
Celebrate “Healthy People – Healthy Planet” with a fun day packed with entertainment, activities, food vendors, live music, and a visit with your favorite furry farm friends at Sully Historic Site! Attend Earth Day Fairfax 2024 and learn about what Fairfax County is doing to support environmental sustainability and what you can do to help.
Garden Talk - Bee Friendly Gardening at Green Spring Gardens
April 20, 2024
Image courtesy Fairfax County Park Authority
Get in on the Earth Day fun by learning tips for your home garden at one of #FXVA's most beautiful outdoor gems, Green Spring Gardens! Let Extension Master Gardener demonstrate techniques for attracting and fostering bees by growing a variety of plants that support them. Discover the vital role bees play in our environment as they pollinate native plants and contribute significantly to our everyday food sources, ranging from soybeans to apples! Whatever your space constraints, you too can grow a bee- friendly garden. Make sure to register here!
Planet Virginia
April 21, 2024
On a plant-based diet, or considering switching over to one? The combination of Fairfax Veg Fest and the Planet Series is unveiling a new event this year, called Planet Virginia. Expect everything the Fairfax Veg Fest has become famous for in addition to exciting planet extras. Find community and learn how a whole-food, plant-based diet impacts your health and the planet. The free outdoor event, sponsored by GreenFare Health and Wellness (also a delicious vegan restaurant in Herndon) will include an amazing speaker lineup and exhibitors.
Celebrate Fairfax Earth Day Events
April 22 and 27, 2024
Join Celebrate Fairfax in commemorating Earth Day on April 22nd! The day promises a variety of educational and interactive activities. Start with a refreshing nature walk while learning interesting facts and pitching in to clean up the trails. Then, team up with the Tysons Community Alliance to help clean up Tysons Forest. Wrap up this eventful day by beautifying a community hub as you celebrate your community. Mark your calendar for April 27th as well, for the Eileen Garnett Civic Space Earth Day Celebration, featuring county experts, kids' activities and delectable offerings from food trucks!
City of Fairfax "HisTree" Day
April 27, 2024
Discover the past and invest in our future at HisTree Day, presented by the City of Fairfax, at Historic Blenheim. This city event will combine living history presenters and music with learning and exploratory activities celebrating Fairfax's history and Earth Day. Meet an early 19th-century scientist and ogle at his preserved specimens. Learn how today’s stormwater management technology helps our planet. Take a guided tree walk of the Historic Blenheim site. See what an Enviroscape reveals about our Earth. Make and take a quilt square featuring a tree or natural object.
Much more awaits all visitors, including seeing early craftspeople-- a blacksmith, a weaver, and a photographer--demonstrate their trades. Meet 19th-century schoolmarms and a roving reporter plus see how Civil War soldiers and civilians made coffee and cornbread. Enjoy food trucks, musical performances, and more as well.
Don't Miss: Helmet Giveaway and Bike Raffle!
Mount Vernon District Environmental Expo
April 27, 2024
Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Government
The Mount Vernon District is bringing back their Earth Day event with the 6th Annual Environment Expo: Learn, Engage, Act and have FUN! on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Fort Hunt Park. The free family-friendly event includes live reptile and raptors programs, electric vehicle showcases, workshops, live music, and more. Learn about the environmental and climate challenges faced on a daily basis and actions you can take to help to learn, engage, and act to save our environment.
Drink Beer and Celebrate the Planet
April 28, 2024
Photo courtesy of Aslin Beer Company
Grab a beer with Mother Nature at Earth Daze! Join Clean Fairfax and Aslin Beer Co. on April 28, 2024 for an event promoting sustainability in a fun and interactive environment. Enjoy hands-on workshops, face painting, pop-up shops, axe throwing, and more. Earth Daze aims to spread awareness of all the easy steps folks can take to live a more sustainable life - all while enjoying a locally brewed, Earth Day-themed beer. Proceeds from the event allow Clean Fairfax to continue to lead the charge on keeping our home, Fairfax County, clean.
Sustainable Buys
Photo courtesy Made in Fairfax
Shopping sustainably is one way to make your money work for the Earth's well-being, while still enjoying the finer things! It's an easy lifestyle change that empowers you to make purchasing decisions in a way that benefits our environment. One way can be reducing waste by using fabric shopping bags, reusable water bottles, metal straws, and similar products instead of their plastic counterparts.
Another way can be buying food from local farmers' markets - which not only supports local farms and makers but reduces the need for packaging waste and the burning of fossil fuels for long-distance shipments. Even ensuring that the manufacturers of products you purchase have ethical labor practices is a part of the sustainable movement.
Luckily, Fairfax County has a variety of local sustainable brands, such as the local makers from the Made in Fairfax directory, River-Sea Chocolate Factory, and Cervantes Coffee Roasters. For more on sustainability and eco-friendly businesses, check out this round-up of some great places to visit and support.
Hot Tip: If you're a music lover, attend a performance at Capital One Hall, which was recently awarded the prestigious LEED Gold Green Building Certification for its sustainable practices.
Whether you're a beer drinker, nature lover, sustainable shopper, or anything in between, there are plenty of ways to celebrate our world this Earth Day. How will you get involved this year? Don't forget to tag us in your adventures using #FXVA and @VisitFairfax on all social media platforms!
