CITYWIDE — Santa Monica bolsters its eco-friendly reputation by being home to Earth Day events all over the city.
Earth Day's official date is April 22, but there are several events and activities that will be taking place beforehand.
Here's a rundown:
Santa Monica Pier
Saturday, April 20
10 a.m. — 12 p.m.: Nothin' But Sand Beach Cleanup at the Santa Monica Pier
11 a.m. — 2 p.m.: Beach Cleanup supplies/check-in in front of the Aquarium
1 p.m.: Story time and crafts
2 p.m.: Presentation: Pollution Solutions
3:30 p.m.: Whale of a Tale Story Time
Sunday, April 21
11 a.m. — 2 p.m.: Beach Cleanup supplies/check-in in front of the Aquarium
1 p.m.: Story time and crafts
2 p.m.: Presentation: Pollution Solutions
Free admission to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will be given for those who participate in Saturday's beach cleanup or who pick up supplies to clean the beach.
Lincoln Boulevard
Saturday, April 20
The Lincoln Boulevard Task Force will be holding an Earth Day clean up event to make the busy street "safe, clean, beautiful, and green," according to a task force press release.
Volunteers will be asked to bring their own brooms, work gloves, clippers and trowels to pick up litter and other debris and pull weeds along the sidewalks and grass strips of Lincoln Boulevard from the I-10 Freeway south to the Venice Boulevard border at Ozone Street. The city will provide plastic bags for litter/debris and weeds and will arrange for pickup of the refuse.
There will be live entertainment, music, and a variety of art events along Lincoln Boulevard ranging from chalk sidewalk art to painting of murals, with a party afterwards at TRiP, 2101 Lincoln Blvd.
The event will go from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Palisades Park
Monday, April 22
The Children's Tree of Life will have a 30th anniversary rededication ceremony to celebrate the first planting of the tree in 1983.
Santa Monica Mayor Pam O'Connor will be declaring this year's Earth Day as "Children's Tree of Life 30th Anniversary Public Rededication Day."
Palisades Park is located on the corner of Ocean and Colorado avenues.
Santa Monica College
Monday, April 22
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: "Honey Bee Celebration Day," with educational and interactive exhibits, which will demonstrate how honey bee farmers are helping bees and people by harvesting local, organic honey. Attendees will be able to sample honey-based foods and share in afternoon tea. Organic Learning Garden.
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: "Queen of the Sun" Movie Night. Screening of a film about the catastrophic disappearance of bees. Humanities & Social Science Building Room 104.
Tuesday, April 23
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: EcoHero Awards Luncheon, honoring SMC Earth Science Department Chair Vicki Drake for her work on SMC's Sustainable Technologies Program, which includes the nation's only degree in recycling and resource management. Also receiving special recognition will be the SMC Curriculum Committee for its concerted efforts to "green" the curriculum and support new environmental classes that prepare future generations to be a positive force in solving today's environmental problems. Organic Learning Garden.
Wednesday, April 24
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Free Bike Registration at the SMC Bike Park, located on Pearl Street between 17th and 20th streets.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: SMC Center for Environmental & Urban Studies Open House, offering tours of the college's most sustainable facility that will show its energy-efficiency measures, green building materials, and the steps SMC is taking to be more sustainable. Refreshments and discussion to follow. SMC Center for Environmental & Urban Studies House.
Thursday, April 25
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The SMC EcoAction Club hosts the "SMC Free Store," a campus-wide exchange of items, including clothing, electronics, kitchenware, tools, small furniture, bikes, office supplies and much more. The Main Campus Quad.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Bike SMC Club's screening of "Urbanized," a documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policy makers, builders and thinkers. Free popcorn and bike giveaways. Center for Environmental & Urban Studies House.
Friday, April 26
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Community Bus Ride and Beach Cleanup. The SMC community will come together in a day of service and cleanup of a local beach. Volunteers will meet at the Big Blue Bus stop at 17th Street and Pico Boulevard or at Lifeguard Tower 18 on SMC EcoAction's Adopted Beach, located on Santa Monica Beach near the original Muscle Beach. Snacks and discussion follow the cleanup.
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Screening of ‘I AM," a nonfiction film by Tom Shadyac that poses two practical questions: What's wrong with our world and what can we do to make it better? Humanities & Social Science Lecture Hall 165.
editor@www.smdp.com
