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Learn how park and recreation professionals and partners across the country are bringing Earth Day events to their communities

When I was the director of community building at Park Pride, where I was tasked with managing community engagement in City of Atlanta parks, April seemed like the busiest month of the year. There were events with corporate and nonprofit partners, requests for volunteer days for 50 to 500 volunteers, and invitations to speak with students and employees. A lot has changed in the past two years due to global events, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and increasing weather events caused by climate change, which has led to new challenges and opportunities.

This year, April 22 marks the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day. According to the history shared on EARTHDAY.ORG, “Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders. By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act.” These and other government agencies and environmentally-focused laws impact how parks are managed and maintained in 2022. “Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes,” states EARTHDAY.ORG.

To find out what current opportunities and challenges professionals face when planning Earth Day celebrations, volunteer and educational events, I spoke with Revonda Cosby, executive director for the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Alliance in Georgia. I also had a conversation with Dr. Rasheeda Hawk, a clinical researcher and adjunct professor at Los Angeles Community College. Additionally, I visited with Ben Nemenoff, director of development, and Caroline Norris, director of sales and events, at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Across the board, they shared that already over-extended staff was a challenge, but public-private partnerships, citizen science and use of technology to amplify their message were opportunities.

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

Many are approaching Earth Day with caution due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic fluctuations and, often, staffing challenges. Few are planning large events as were typical in the past. Instead, many park and recreation agencies are leaning on partnerships with community nonprofits, government agencies and corporate sponsors. In the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, regularly scheduled volunteer days are meeting success with corporate groups looking to cultivate a spirit of stewardship at spaces like Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. Instead of a traditional banquet or community celebration, like an Earth Day festival, many events are going virtual and are being spread out over the month of April. The alliance also is highlighting diverse stories, events and news via blogs and with the help of creative influencers. In previous years, Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area released a video for Earth Day highlighting the unique green spaces in this national heritage area and the power of parks. “Our connection to the earth is one of the things that makes us human. These forests, meadows, trails and mountains are waiting for you. Whether you’re hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking or discovering our natural history, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area provides us with beauty and peace year after year, no matter the state of the world,” states the video.

Seeds of Carver

Earth Day is a time to celebrate past success and create space for positive action. It can be powerful to reflect on the historical and present-day environmental wins in your community. Earth Day also is an opportunity to highlight unique solutions to persistent problems and roll out new programs that address historic environmental injustices. Seeds of Carver, a collective urban garden under the Los Angeles Community Garden Council, led by scientist and professor Dr. Hawk, engages young people in South Los Angeles in a project to restore the soil by planting sunflowers — a technical process called “bioremediation.” “The goal of this program is to develop and mentor youth ‘community scientists’ who will apply bioremediation as a method to degrade toxins found in the soil in the local neighborhoods of South Los Angeles and Watts [a Los Angeles neighborhood],” states the website syntropyhealing.org about Seeds of Carver. “These areas known as ‘toxic hot spots’ within our neighborhoods have a higher level of heavy metals, PAH [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons], and PCBs [polychlorinated biphenyls] at levels higher than the EPA recommended limits. We will use compost and drought-resistant plants from the Seeds of Carver Community Garden to distribute a consortium of microbes and plants known to degrade toxins found throughout South Los Angeles neighborhoods and playgrounds.”

The Seeds of Carver program is an example of a place-based solution. Currently, the organization partners with a school, but the project could be duplicated in other public spaces, like urban parks. Dr. Hawk explains the project was born from attending a public meeting, during which residents were surveyed regarding pollution in their neighborhood. The survey found that residents from Watts were frustrated that many studies showed high levels of pollution, in particular lead toxin, but proposed no solutions. In response to their concerns, she proposed planting sunflowers at homes and shared spaces, like schools and parks. Research had shown that these flowers and other plants can pull toxins from the soil. Hawk’s current research is exploring how drought might impact the flower work. Her work can serve as inspiration to others to look for unique, community-
driven initiatives that can be highlighted to encourage people to care for the planet.

Shelby Farms Park

Litter cleanup, beautification projects and tree planting are classic Earth Day events. Volunteering with a group of strangers, coworkers, classmates, friends or even alone can connect you to nature in your park. Before 2020, there were often gatherings of thousands of people at Shelby Farms Park to celebrate and showcase local environmental organizations and governmental initiatives. In 2021, due to COVID-19, Shelby Farms Park pivoted to virtual showcases, outdoor events and volunteer days. “At 4,500 acres, Shelby Farms Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the Park is both a vibrant community hub and a retreat from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Public parks like Shelby Farms Park play an important role in creating a just and equitable community for all. Whether you play the Park on foot, on wheels, in the trees, in the open or on the water, Shelby Farms Park has something for everyone,” according to the Shelby Farms Park website. Staff at Shelby Farms Park carry the spirit of Earth Day through the month of April. One goal they have for the month is to attract corporate sponsors that contribute enough to cover the festivities and invest in the daily maintenance of the property. Here is a sample of Shelby Farms Park’s 2021 activities and events scheduled to celebrate Earth Day:

• Want to learn more about the businesses and organizations that are helping Memphis have a greener future? Join Facebook for a virtual panel featuring local sustainability leaders today, April 22, at 5:30 p.m.!
• Want to volunteer in honor of Earth Day? We could use helping hands to spread mulch this Saturday, April 24 at 8 a.m.! Thank you very “mulch” in advance!
• Have you “herd” about our Porch Chats? Learn about the Park’s iconic buffalo herd from the Rangers that take care of them! Meet our Rangers on the AutoZone Front Porch at the First Horizon Foundation Visitor Center for an informal chat as they share info and fun facts about our herd this Sunday, April 25 at 11 a.m.!
• Reduce - Reuse - Recycle – Help us give the bikes in our old rental fleet new lives! These used bikes have spent a lot of time on the trails, but they still have some life left in them! We’ll have 50+ bikes for sale, along with some accessories and parts. Proceeds from this bike sale will help offset the cost of our new rental fleet!

Crafting a Successful Earth Day

On Earth Day, we can celebrate partnerships and programs ripe with success. We also can enjoy the parks and green spaces in our community and renew our commitment to finding solutions that build resilience. Earth Day is an opportunity to highlight sustainability, green infrastructure and climate-ready parks. Elevate the work that your team does all year by adding an Earth Day theme to your already scheduled April volunteer days, podcast episodes or community newsletters. Encourage elected officials and community decision-makers to visit a park on Earth Day. Invite your community to share photos of outdoor Earth Day fun in parks on social media. The way that your community celebrates Earth Day might change from year to year, but no matter how large or small, don’t let the occasion pass without some acknowledgement. Invite partners to join you and share the load. Facilitate difficult conversations and explore how individuals or communities can act. Celebrate park and recreation professionals. Encourage stewardship by sharing educational videos and calls to action. Consider varying the timing and engagement methods of your programing to ensure you are welcoming diverse park users to participate, from children to older adults, schools to corporations, nonprofits to government partners and more.

As you read this, the temperatures are likely already moving from warm to hot in the southern and western regions of the United States. Communities in these areas are likely bracing themselves for record-setting summer heat, which also can mean drought, flooding and fire. While we must prepare for the reality of these events, I find hope in the regenerative nature of the earth. As we clean up, plant trees and restore prairies and wetlands, there can be spaces to dream of a better tomorrow. People have come together throughout history to find solutions to difficult challenges. 

This Earth Day, there are many ways to celebrate. I encourage you to share on NRPA Connect how your community will celebrate Earth Day in 2022. You also can send your pictures and stories to Justin Taylor, NRPA’s resilience specialist.

To hear Williams speak more about how parks and recreation is celebrating Earth Day, tune in to the April bonus episode of Open Space Radio.

Ayanna Williams, MSW, is Director of Community and Environmental Resilience at NRPA.