Earth Day 2023 In Mount Vernon: Environmental Expo, More Things To Do

FORT HUNT, VA — Fifty-three years ago Saturday, planet warriors staged the first Earth Day, a celebration of eco-consciousness that now takes place in more than 190 countries and has grown to become the most widely observed nonreligious holiday in history.

There are different ways to observe Earth Day, from festivals to cleanups. Here’s what’s going on in and around the Mount Vernon District — if you know of anything else going on, post them or steer organizers to our events calendar.

Environment Expo: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Fort Hunt Park, 8999 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, VA

Supervisor Dan Storck and the National Park Service George Washington Memorial Parkway will host the 5th annual Mount Vernon District Environment Expo: Get Outdoors! Learn and Do! The free event includes live music from the Anthony James Band, live reptile and owl programs, an electric vehicle showcase, nature walks, the junior ranger program, scavenger hunts, touch-a-truck, the CCTV robot camera, solar cooking demonstrations, exhibitors, giveaways and more.

The goal of the event is to help attendees understand about daily environmental and climate challenges and how they can help.

Garden Talk - Small-Space Veggie Gardening at Green Spring Gardens: Saturday, April 22, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA

Attendees can learn how vegetable gardens can be created even on small patios, decks or townhouse yards. Extension Master Gardener docents will lead the discussion on growing vegetables in a small space. Registration is required. The cost is $12 to attend.

Friends of Mount Vernon Trail Invasive Plant Removal: Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Columbia Island Marina, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Arlington, VA

Volunteers will be removing invasive bush honeysuckle from the Mount Vernon Trail near the 14th Street Bridge. The meeting location will be the trail near the 14th Street Bridge. Volunteers may be asked to use pruners, folding saws or loppers to cut vegetation as well as stack and haul away vegetation. Registration can be completed on Eventbrite.

Earth Day Fairfax: Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sully Historic Site, 3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly, VA

Join the county's largest Earth Day celebration to learn about the county's environmental sustainability efforts and how residents can help. The event will have entertainment, activities, food vendors, touch-a-truck and prizes and more. The event is free, but parking is $10.

Del Ray Gardenfest: Sunday, April 23, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

2207 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA

This free event hosted by the Del Ray Citizens Association offers garden-related demonstrations, informational booths and interactive activities. Attendees can learn about different gardening activities, including the Virginia Master Gardener program, at-home composting, growing native plants, and beekeeping. There will also be a giveaway of 100 native tree seedlings and 400 packets of organic, non-GMO fruit, veggie, and herb seeds.

Fairfax Veg Fest: Sunday, April 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

NorthWest Federal Credit Union, 200 Spring Street, Herndon, VA

Those on a plant-based diet or considering one can learn about how this diet benefits health and the planet. The event will include yoga for kids, adoptable dogs, a vegan fashion show, cooking demonstrations and live music. The event is presented by GreenFare, a vegan restaurant in Herndon.

The modern environmental movement that began 53 years ago has brought about a sea change in how Americans view climate change, and many now regard it as an existential crisis. This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet,” a prod to governments, businesses, institutions and the 1 billion Earth Day participant to devote their resources to fighting climate change.

Earth Week officially kicked off Friday. A live series continuing through the week touches on a variety of urgent issues, from climate restoration, regenerative agriculture, environment and social justice, supply chain resilience, plastic pollution, resource scarcity, food security, the green economy, biodiversity restoration, universal climate literacy, and others.

Panelists range from public and private sector leaders to activists, scientists, influencers and beyond. Here is the schedule for the Earth Day live events scheduled to take place during Earth Week:

Local Earth Day celebrations are planned widely in the United States and around the world. Flagship U.S. Earth Day events include:

• A 5,000-volunteer-strong trash and debris cleanup from Hurricane Ian in Cape Coral, Florida;
• An Earth Day Jubilee hosted by Heal the Bay in Santa Monica, California;
• A rally to end the era of fossil fuels at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.; and
• A Pledge to Our Keiki Dive and cleanup, mobilizing about 700 volunteer divers across the Hawaiian Islands. Also, more than 20,000 volunteers are expected for 800 other events organized by 400 nonprofits to raise awareness of global pollution to the ecosystem.

Here are some things you can do on your own:

1. Don’t Drive; Walk Or Bike Instead

Did you know that parking the car and walking or biking to where you need to get in greater Mount Vernon would significantly reduce your carbon footprint?

That’s according to an Imperial College London study published in the journal Global Environmental Change. The study, the first to look at how lifestyle changes can reduce carbon emissions, found that was the case even in European cities where many people already walk and cycle to their destinations.

2. Plant Some Trees

If everyone in greater Mount Vernon joined with billions of others and planted a tree, an area the size of the United States could be reforested, increasing the world’s tree canopy by a third without disrupting agriculture or city development, and blotting out about 100 years of carbon emissions.

That’s according to “The global tree restoration potential,” the first study ever to look at how many trees the planet can support.

“Our study clearly shows that forest reforestation is the best climate change solution available today,” lead author of the study, ETH Zürich researcher Tom Crowther, said in a statement to National Geographic.

However, National Geographic said it could take more than 100 years to add enough mature forest to achieve significant carbon reduction, especially as about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide — the result of burning fossil fuels — are added to the atmosphere every year, Glen Peters, research director at Norway’s Center for International Climate Research, told National Geographic.

3. Don't Buy Fast Fashion

The average American discards 80 pounds of clothing a year, and 85 percent of it ends up in landfills, where the material used to make it produces methane. Although carbon dioxide has a longer lasting effect on climate change, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

One way to offset that is to stop buying cheap, trendy fashion that goes out of style quickly, according to Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. It’s often shipped from low-wage countries overseas, so the use of fossil fuels to get it here also adds to a person’s individual carbon footprint.

A more sustainable approach is to buy higher-quality, U.S.-manufactured clothing. Or even better, Columbia Climate School advises, buy vintage or recycled clothing at thrift and consignment stores around the DC metro area or upcycle unwanted clothing in some other way.