​Earth Day 2023 On Long Island: Things To Know And Do

LONG ISLAND, NY — 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 numerous ways to observe Earth Day this year on Long Island, from workshops to cleanups, to panels and pizza parties. Here’s what’s happening on Long Island.

And if you know of anything else going on, post them or steer organizers to our events calendar.

Nassau County

• Earth Day Beach Cleanup 2023, Sands Point
  • 10 a.m. - noon Saturday
  • 127 Middle Neck Rd.
  • Other: All beach cleanup volunteers receive free admission to the preserve. Bring gloves, all other materials will be provided. No registration required.
• Community Garden Cleanup and Earth Day Celebration, Roosevelt
  • 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Saturday
  • Annual cleanup at the Roosevelt Community Garden. All are welcome and family-friendly.
  • Those interested should email Andrea Millwood at andrea@northshorelandalliance.org.
• Earth Day Tree Planting
• 9:30 a.m. Friday
• 237 Lido Blvd, Lido Beach
• Private event in which a new tree will be planted at the elementary school.
at Lido Elementary
• Gaslit: How Gas Industry Lies Have Cost Us and What You Can Do About It - Port Washington
  • FREE event for the public! Register here.
    
  • Join Transition Town Port Washington and Landmark on Main St. for an evening of cocktails, community, and conversation about the truth behind the myths being circulated by the gas industry. A panel of experts will dispel misinformation, explain the environmental and health impacts of continuing to burn gas, and offer practical alternatives to using gas in your home.
• Earth Day Community Cleanup at Brookside Preserve — Freeport
  • 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
    • Join Legislator Mulé, Senator Kevin Thomas, and the Green Army for an Earth Day Community Clean-Up of Brookside Preserve.
    • Garbage bags and gloves provided, parking available on Brookside Avenue and Glacken Park.
• Scudder's Pond Cleanup — Sea Cliff
  • 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Saturday
  • Bring gloves, three-pronged rakes, buckets for trash, boots and long pants.
  • Meet at the Shore Road entrance to the pond. Parking available at Tappen Beach.
• STEM Explorers: Our Earth, Our Home - Garden City
  • Noon to 2 p.m.
  • Join the Green Teens in celebrating Earth Day and learn about how to make a difference in keeping the planet healthy.
  • Program is free with admission. Reserve a daily admission ticket to take part.

Suffolk County

• Spring Clean Up! (Riverhead)
  • 9 a.m. - noon Saturday (pizza lunch at noon)
  • 6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead
  • Free. Families are welcome. Bring your own rake, water, sturdy work shoes, a hat, and gloves.
  • Email admin@hallockville.org to register.
• EARTH DAY Clean UP! — Riverhead
  • 9 a.m. to be assigned a target area.
  • Riverhead Town Hall, 200 Howell Ave.
  • Town-wide cleanup on Saturday. Volunteers are needed and community service credits are available for those who participate.
• SOFO FREE Open House & Earth Day Celebration (Bridgehampton)
  
  • 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday
  • South Fork Natural History Museum, 377 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton
  • Free, everyone welcome
  • Meet dogs and cats from the Southampton Animal Shelter, meet the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons! Learn about their mission and programs, and the grand re-opening of their renovated East Hampton Adoption Center.
  • Animal Show with Jungle Bob: Unusual and Unknown: Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrate Animals (2PM-3PM), Family Nature Trivia Night, Light Refreshments – BYO beverage (7 p.m.-9 p.m.)
• Family Earth Day Celebration — Huntington
  
  • 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday
  • 210 Manor Rd, Huntington
  • Learn about the beautiful planet while enjoying food, music, and FREE activities and service at Manor Farm Park.
• LongHouse Reserve -Weave the Fabric of Your Life with Textile Designer Suzanne Tick — East Hampton
  • Noon - 1 p.m. Saturday
  • $65
  • 133 Hands Creek Rd, East Hampton
  • In celebration of Earth Day, join LongHouse Reserve and artist, weaver, creative director of Luum Textiles Suzanne Tick and her studio designers in a weaving workshop using recycled materials. Participants are encouraged to bring their discarded belongings to weave into their looms to give these materials a new life. Tick Studio designers will assist participants in making lap loom weavings using materials and items they wish to recycle.
    Please bring personal items such as: discarded memoizable clothing, images, uniforms, feathers, cassettes, jewelry, plastic bags, mylar balloons, single use plastics and fallen plant materials.
• Earth Day is Every Day at Sweetbriar Nature Center- Smithtown
  • 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Sunday
  • Learn about local animals, make a green craft and learn ways to celebrate the Earth not just today but every day.
  • Children will meet resident animals, enjoy the natural world through their senses, and go on a scavenger hunt to find out things they can do to help the natural world.
  • Come away with a craft to help reduce your impact on the Earth.
  • Best for: Families with children over age 4.
  • $10 per child and $5 for adults, $2 discount per member
  • Tickets are Nonrefundable and cannot be credited.

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:

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 on Long Island 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 on Long Island 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 area or upcycle unwanted clothing in some other way.