Earth Day Vancouver 2009

This year’s Earth Day celebrations in Metro Vancouver aren’t just taking place April 22nd, but they’re spanning across a week and two full weekends. Here’s a quick rundown of events around the region.

Evergreen’s Earth Day
Kicking things off the weekend before Earth Day, Evergreen’s Earth Day will see the planting of 4,000 native trees and plants at Jericho Beach Park and the public are encouraged to come out and take part. Throughout the day on April 18th they will also have a First Nations drum group, strorytelling, a blessing ceremony, and dancers.

Earth Day at Metropolis at Metrotown
This takes place Saturday, April 18th from 11:00am until 3:00pm and will be located in the Grand Court of Metropolis at Metrotown shopping centre. It will be an interactive clothing recycling event as they hope to show you how to “reinvent last season’s jeans into a fab new backpack, transform old light bulbs into useful vases, and turn those old T-shirts into funky bags.”

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

Surrey’s Earth Day Celebration
The City of Surrey will also host Earth Day activities on Saturday April 18th over in Bear Creek Park from 11:00am until 3:00pm. This free event will include live music, story times, face painting, costume parades, and environmental displays. Queen Elizabeth High School will also have an Earth Day Fair on April 22nd.

Delta Earth Week
Delta is hosting an entire week of events from April 19 until April 24. They have photo contests, a fish release event, Earth Day at the Municipal Hall, and a Litterless Lunch challenge.

Earth Day in West Vancouver
Whole Foods at Park Royal is hosting an outdoor Earth Day celebration April 18th from noon until 4:00pm.

Earth Day at Everett Crowley Park
This will be the 9th annual Earth Day at the park and will take place April 25th from 10:30am until 4:00pm. They’ll have music, food, face painting, games for kids, displays, special guests and free souvenirs. They will also be planting 1,000 native trees and saw 5,000 people take part last year. More information about this event is available at EarthDayVancouver.org. I profiled Everett Crowley Park in my Metro Vancouver Park Series and it’s neat to see how the old landfill has shaped up.

Earth Day Rally
Join the Green Party of BC on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Earth Day from noon until 1:00pm. Speakers include Elizabeth May, Jane Sterk, Green Party of BC Leader, Emily Jubenvill, “Greenest Canadian” contest winner and Sacha Husband, “Invent the Future” contest winner. Find out more on the Facebook event listing.

Earth Day Tofino
A special treat for those on the Island or who would like to get away. I received a bulletin stating that “Every day is Earth Day at the Wickaninnish Inn” although they’ll also take part in Tofino’s Earth Day celebrations that will run from April 22nd until the 26th.

Earth Weekend at the Aquarium
Earth Weekend at the Vancouver Aquarium is April 25-26 and they’ve partnered with Fresh Start Recycling who will be on-site to take your goods for recycling. I had the chance to profile Fresh Start last summer but check out their site for details about what they can accept.

Wildlife Rescue Association’s Earth Fest
The WRA will host an event at the Burnaby Lake Rowing Pavillion on April 26th from 10:00am to 3:00pm. They will have community exhibits, wildlife releases, you can build nest boxes, and take part in other family-friendly activities.

I also received information from the Earth Day organizers including their “Top 10 Actions“, widgets for bloggers and the Earth Day 2009 video. More events across the province and country can be found listed on the Earth Day Canada site.

Update Here’s another event happening at the Vancouver Art Gallery – thanks to Paul for his comment. It will be a “Meat Free” celebration on April 22nd from noon until 2:00pm as Liberation BC, Earthsave, and the Vancouver Humane Society spread the word about the impacts of meat consumption. They will also be handing out free vegan food.