CELEBRATE EARTH DAY APRIL 22

By Michele E. Buttelman Signal Staff Writer

Every year it seems Earth Day events become larger and more important. Once a fringe, “tree-hugger” celebration, Earth Day has become a mainstream significant day to embrace eco-consciousness and show a little love to our home, planet Earth.

Official Earth Day is held on April 22, but many events are being held in celebration of Earth Day throughout April. Celebrating “Earth Month” is also increasing in popularity.

Santa Clarita April 29

The centerpiece of Earth Day celebrations in Santa Clarita is the annual Neighborhood Cleanup event on Saturday April 15. Residents are invited to pre-register to volunteer for the 2023 Neighborhood where participants can pick up cleaning supplies, including bags and gloves, from one of three drive-thru locations and remove litter in their local neighborhoods.

All interested residents are required to pre-register online before the event at GreenSantaClarita.com.

When registering, participants will be prompted to select one of three locations to get their free supplies on the morning of the event.

Registered volunteers will start their day by picking up supplies at their selected location, all of which will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. In celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day, free bags of mulch, while supplies last, will also be available at each pick up site for participants to use for home gardening projects.

After picking up cleaning supplies, volunteers will go to their neighborhoods, paseos, sidewalks and trails to collect trash at their own pace.

Participants are invited to post photos on social media using the hashtag #CleanUpSC.

Information featuring environmentally-friendly tips about recycling, water quality, community resources and more are available on GreenSanta Clarita.com for participants to reference at any time.

Hazardous/Electronic Waste Collection Event April 15

Safely dispose your household hazardous waste and electronic waste for free on Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Valencia, CA 91355.

This event is open and free to all Los Angeles County residents. Business waste is not accepted at these events. Eligible items include paint, batteries, fluorescent light tubes, CFL bulbs, vehicle fluids, cleaners, solvents, pesticides and electronics.

For more information visit greensantaclarita.com.

Rain Barrel Information Class April 8

On Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., a class on the importance of rainwater harvesting and proper installation and maintenance of rain barrels will be held at the Newhall Community Center, located at 22421 Market St., Newhall, CA 91321. Rain barrels offered by the city are sold out, but purchase of a rain barrel is not required to attend the class.

L.A. River Cleanup April 15 and 22

Friends of the L.A. River’s 33rd Annual Great L.A. River Cleanup will be held Saturday, April 15 and Saturday, April 22. Join FoLAR for the inaugural “Earth With Us” celebration to celebrate the L.A. River through art, education and stewardship. Volunteers can participate in cleanups, habitat restoration, nature walks and river education activities across 51 miles of the L.A. River.

For more information, visit folar. org/event/earth-with-us-2023april22.

Hermosa Beach Cleanup Party April 22

Join friends, family and Beach Bound Sports at the Hermosa Beach Pier, 1 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a beach cleanup event and party. Bring gloves, closed toe shoes, water, snacks and sunscreen.

Prizes awarded to those who pick up the most trash from the beach. After cleanup ends a small beach party will include music, beach games, beach volleyball, cornhole and refreshments. Recycled trash bags provided to collect the trash will be measured as to how full the bag is at the end to award prizes.

Activities to Celebrate Earth Day

Create your own Earth Day celebration by hosting your own neighborhood Earth Day clean up party, tree planting or other community activity. You can also participate in a few of the activities listed below:

Plant a tree Why should you plant a tree? Trees eat the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Trees clean the air so we can breathe more easily. And, trees cool down your life as they are natural air conditioners.

Calculate your ecological footprint Do you know the impact your lifestyle is having on the environment? Simply calculate your ecological footprint and explore sustainable solutions you can take to minimize your climate impact. Visit www.footprint calculator.org/home/en.

Buy reusable bags Ditch the plastic grocery store bags and buy a cloth reusable bag to tote your purchases home. It’s been estimated that Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year and the production for those bags requires about 12 million barrels of oil.

Avoid single use plastic Avoid single use plastic wherever possible. Reuse storage bags and buy items sold in eco-friendly packaging where possible.

Use a refillable water bottle it takes more than 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture all of the plastic bottles used each year. Despite recycling efforts more than two million tons of water bottles have ended up in U.S. landfills.

Get produce from a local farmer’s market Buy your fruits and veggies local. Food from the grocery store can travel an average of 1,500 miles to get to you. That’s a lot of pollution for a head of lettuce. 