2010 Earth Day Events in San Mateo County

Earth Day -- April 22 -- each year marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental movement. On April 22, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his youthful staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, farmers, and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

Sen. Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest honor given to civilians in the United States -- for his role as Earth Day founder.

Earth Day is a time to celebrate the wonders of the natural world. It is a time to reflect on the importance of nature in our everyday lives and it is a time to get involved in local efforts to preserve the environment. In San Mateo County you will find many opportunities to make a difference. All events listed are free to the public unless otherwise stated.

• Events and Celebrations
• Volunteer Opportunities

• UC Extension Master Gardeners Plant Sale: Tomatoes and Peppers
  Saturday, April 10, 9 am - 1 pm
• National Environmental Education
  Week April 11-17
• GREENLIGHT Earth Day Film Festival
  Thursday, April 15, 7 pm
• Earth Day on the Bay at Marine Science Institute
  Saturday, April 17

• Portola Valley Earth Day Fair
  Saturday, April 17
• Earth Day at Coyote Point Museum, San Mateo
  Sunday, April 18, 12 noon-5 pm
• Going Native Garden Tour
  Sunday, April 18th, 10 am-4 pm
• Cool Cuisine : Taking The Bite Out of Global Warming Presentation
  Thursday, April 22, 7 pm
• Clean Up Action Day
  Saturday, April 24

Get your veggie garden off to a great start with seedlings selected for local success. Popular and unusual varieties of tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, and more- including varieties for cool and foggy areas. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening and pest questions. Sales are cash and check only. Free admission. More info.

National Environmental Education Week is the single largest organized environmental education event in the United States. It increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of environmentally-themed lessons and activities in K-12 classrooms, and off site locations.

To register visit: http://www.eeweek.org/register.htm.

The Greenlight Earth Day Film Festival is a celebration of Earth Day featuring film projects that explore environmental citizenship and show how individual actions can reduce environmental impacts. Films featured at the 2010 Festival will be produced by local artists, with an emphasis on student-produced films.

For more information, see http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/environment/greenlight.asp.

For more information visit http://www.sfbaymsi.org/baylines.html.

The fair will provide the community with the tools and resources to make their homes more efficient, conserve resources, and live more sustainably. It will be held in the Community Hall of the town's green Town Center:
Town Center Community Hall
765 Portola Road

Meet local wildlife, try hands-on science activities, and enjoy a special focus on sustainable practices that you can implement at home, such as creating a small windowsill garden.

For more information visit http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org/activities/family-events/earth-day.

This community-based tour of gardens featuring California native plants is free of charge to the public. Each tour features 40-60 gardens, most of them private home gardens, which are open on tour day in a do-it-yourself, open house format.
Register for the tour.

Chef Laura Stec & Dr. Eugene Cordero are the authors of Cool Cuisine: Taking The Bite Out of Global Warming - a smorgasbord of scientific fact and culinary art. The book presents the full cycle on how our agrochemical food system affects global warming and how global warming affects the food system. Laura Stec is a Bay Area chef and environmental advocate who teaches about the artistry, health, and energetics of cooking. Dr. Eugene Cordero is an associate professor in the Meteorology Department at San Jose State University.

Free admission. More information.

Select a beach, habitat, or creek area to beautify.

For more information visit http://www.pacificabeachcoalition.org/.