1831 Traver Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105 | Phone 734-997-1553 | 
Earth Day Festival
Join us on Sunday, April 19th, 2020 from 12-4 for an afternoon of celebrating the Earth through entertainment, education, exploration, and fun!
**NEW LOCATION- GALLUP PARK**
Parking can be limited at the event so visitors are strongly encouraged to "go green" and carpool, bus, bike, or walk to the festival. Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition will be offering a free bike corral to those that ride.
About the Festival
The Ann Arbor Earth Day Festival is an annual celebration coordinated by the Ann Arbor Earth Day Festival Planning Committee, a coalition of local environmental nonprofits and agencies, and held at Gallup Park.
This free, family-friendly event features displays from 40 local environmental, nonprofit, and governmental organizations; live animal demonstrations; hands-on activities; live entertainment; green building & commuting technologies; energy topics; water awareness; sustainable agriculture; and more.
In the true spirit of Earth Day, this festival will again be a Zero Waste event, with the help from Recycle Ann Arbor. Visitors can help keep up the average of 90% waste diverted from landfills during the Earth Day Event by bringing their reusable water bottle, and putting their waste in the right receptacles.
Ann Arbor’s Earth Day Festival is a free event thanks to local donors and sponsors!
Sponsors
City of Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation
City of Ann Arbor Solid Waste
Ecology Center
Leslie Science & Nature Center
Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation
Recycle Ann Arbor
Climate Change and Earth Care Task Force (CCEC) of ICPJ
Ann Arbor Area Elders Climate Action Chapter (A3ECAC)
Climate Change and Earth Care Task Force (CCEC) of ICPJ
Ann Arbor Area Elders Climate Action Chapter (A3ECAC)
Entertainment & Learning Presentations at the Festival:
| 12:00-4:00pm | Butterfly Garden Lawn Games Meet us at the Butterfly Garden Lawn for games & face painting with GIVE365. Visit the Wildlife Tent to see live animals with Leslie Science & Nature Center, and explore the power of wind with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. |
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| 12:30-1:00pm | Nature Storytime Enjoy a playful Storytime with Coert Ambrosino, Ann Arbor Public Schools Environmental Educator. Coert will read some of his favorite springtime storybooks and share wonders from the natural world. This interactive storytime encourages STEM thinking. Coert is an Ann Arbor native. He grew up going on AAPS field trips and now he leads them, continuing Ann Arbor’s rich tradition of empowering students with connection to nature. |
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| 1:00-1:45pm | Beyond Fossil Fuels -The Net-Zero All-Electric Home Deep reductions in carbon emissions from homes as well as phasing out fossil fuel heating is necessary if humankind is to avoid the worst effects of climate change. All-electric, healthy homes that make as much energy as they use are cost effective now. Explore the future of American homes as we make the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Presention by Meadowlark Co-Founder and Sustainability director, Doug Selby. |
Nature Hike City of Ann Arbor NAP leads a Nature HIke through Ruthven Nature area. Meet at the butterfly garden in Gallup Park. |
| 1:15-2:00pm | Folk Song Jam Along Join in the "Folk Song Jam Along" EARTH DAY Edition! As usual, bring your instruments or voices and come sing together! We'll have a special set of love songs to our Mother Earth and all her creatures. We project lyrics and chords up on a screen so folks can sing out and jam along! Hosted by Lori Fithian and Jean Chorazyczewski. |
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| 2:00-2:15pm | Get Dressed Up for the Parade! Meet at the Entertainment Tent to get dressed up as a forest animal or fairy in preparation for the All Species Parade. Come prepared with your own homemade costume or borrow one of ours! | |
| 2:00-2:45pm |
Caring for Ourselves in Times of Climate Crisis A hands-on workshop on how active engagement with the natural world can both heal and energize us as we address climate change. As the climate crisis intensifies, we are inundated in the everyday with negative images and stories that darken our present and future horizon. As a result, more people are experiencing mental health consequences, or what is being called 'eco-anxiety'. Sadly, we expect eco-anxiety to spike across the globe, and the reality is especially worrying among children and youth who will bear the brunt of the crisis, even as governments fail to take action. In this talk, Jennifer Bowles, Ph.D. will draw on her work as psychotherapist, as well as her anthropological fieldwork with farmers and farmworkers in Northeast Argentina, to lay out strategies for both assuaging eco-anxiety and mobilizing us toward change. |
Nature Hike City of Ann Arbor NAP leads a Nature HIke through Ruthven Nature area. Meet at the butterfly garden in Gallup Park. |
| 2:15-2:30pm | All Species Parade Begins at the Entertainment Tent, led by Ecology Center Staff throughout the Festival Grounds Come dressed as your favorite flora or fauna and prance, preen, pounce, and frolic throughout Gallup Park. The All Species Parade is a tradition that began at the first Earth Day Festival and continues today. Parade begins at the Entertainment Tent. |
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| 2:30-2:45pm | ||
| 2:45-3:45pm | Joe Reilly Sing along with beloved local singer/songwriter Joe Reilly. Joe’s songs are playful, clever, engaging, joyful, and always have something meaningful to say. They celebrate our connections to the natural world while teaching environmental science and stewardship. Joe will be joined by percussionist Lori Fithian of Drummunity for the performance. |
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| 3:00-3:45pm | Nature Hike City of Ann Arbor NAP leads a Nature HIke through Ruthven Nature area. Meet at the butterfly garden in Gallup Park. |
Ongoing Events:
Ann Arbor Hands on Museum Wind Exhibits
LSNC Led Live Animal Presentations
Facepainting
Lawn Games
Exhibitors at the Festival
We will be joined by a variety of environmental non-profits and for-profits sharing information and activities that help us celebrate our earth!
We are still working on this- it is going to be great!
Food Vendors at the Festival
Volunteer at the Festival
The festival does not operate without the help of a lot of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer during the festival please sign up here through these great organizations:
Press Materials
The Ann Arbor Earth Day Festival Planning Committee is comprised of volunteers from the City of Ann Arbor, Ecology Center, Give 365, Leslie Science & Nature Center, Washtenaw County Parks, Climate Change and Earth Care Task Force of ICPJ and Ann Arbor Area Elders Climate Action Chapter, and Recycle Ann Arbor. If you have questions about the festival, feel free to reach out to us!