Ways to celebrate Earth Day in and around Boston

Celebrate at a festival, clean up the Charles, or take a hike this Earth Day.

Previous volunteers at the annual Charles River Cleanup. Courtesy of the Esplanade Association.

3 minutes to read

What started in 1970 as a day of rallies, marches, and talks that helped put into motion the modern environmental movement is now known as Earth Day. There are several ways, many of them family friendly, to celebrate Earth Day in and around Boston by taking part in cleanups, festivals, art exhibits, and more.

While Earth Day, which is always on April 22, falls on a Monday this year, there are plenty of ways to get involved in the days leading up to and following Earth Day.

Bag seedlings in the Seaport

Speak for the Trees, an organization that aims to preserve and plant trees in Boston, once again hosts its seedling giveaway in the Seaport on Thursday, April 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check their website to register to volunteer, and to find out more about other Earth Week events like author Christine Carmichael of “Racist Roots: How Racism Has Affected Trees and People in Our Cities – and What We Can Do About It” giving book talks on April 22 and 23.

Attend the Charles River Cleanup

The 25th annual Charles River Cleanup, a yearly cleanup event with thousands of volunteers and nationally recognized by American Rivers National River Cleanup, takes place on April 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will work along 80 miles of the Charles River, from Hopkinton to Cambridge, picking up trash and pulling out invasive species. One of the largest Earth Day cleanups in the country, the event also cleans up the Muddy River. Volunteers can register for an assigned spot along the watershed on the website.

Visit the Framingham Earth Day Festival

The 12th annual Framingham Earth Day festival runs this year on April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Framingham Common. The event connects folks hoping to make their communities and the planet more sustainable places and features live music, activities for kids, and food vendors, along with speakers like Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky and the town’s sustainability coordinator, Shawn Luz.

Check out Newton’s Earth Day Festival

Green Newton hosts Newton’s third annual Earth Day celebration at Newton North High School on April 21 from noon to 4 p.m. Expect family-friendly activities like face painting, a petting zoo, food from vendors who prioritize sustainability, live music, and an electric vehicle expo. The day aims to connect folks looking to live a more Earth-friendly lifestyle.

Attend MIT’s 2024 Sustainability Summit

MIT’s Sustainability Summit, this year called “Systems Change,” brings a day of panels, workshops, and networking about climate issues to the Boston Marriott in Cambridge on April 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The summit aims to help bridge the “collaboration gap” on climate solutions, bringing together ideas from different sectors like science, business, and policy making to speed up solutions.

Watch a free screening of ‘Earth Days’

The Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library hosts a free screening of the 2010 documentary “Earth Days” on April 26 at 2 p.m. The film follows the origins of the modern American environmental movement, starting in the ‘50s and culminating in the first official Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

Check out PEM’s ‘Our Time on Earth’ exhibit

While the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem opened their “Our Time on Earth” exhibit in February, it’s the perfect Earth Week activity. The exhibit includes interdisciplinary and immersive installations that explore a future in which both humans and the Earth flourish together. PEM’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Monday. The museum is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Take a hike

Appreciate Mother Earth more deeply this Earth Day by taking a hike at one of these 10 places to go hiking within an hour of Boston, including favorites like the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, World’s End in Hingham, and Ward Reservation in Andover. Plus, check out this list of where to find universally accessible hiking trails in Massachusetts.

Go on a bike ride

Get out in the fresh air without having to leave the city this Earth Day. Boston is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country, and these six off-road bike paths in and around Boston will help you stay safe while you explore the city from a different angle.