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RiverLink, in conjunction with WNC for the Planet, hosts the 6th Annual Earth Day Kid’s Festival! Features an exciting variety of environmentally focused activities for kids in grades K-12 including arts and crafts, games, face painting, hands-on learning, educational materials and interactive booths. Free. Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr., Asheville, NC. RiverLink.org.
COLUMBIA, SC
50th EARTH DAY TAKES ON CLIMATE CHANGE Golden Anniversary Marks Call to Action
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n April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans—10 percent of the nation—took to the streets and campuses to protest environmental degradation so severe that rivers were literally catching on fire. That groundswell was followed by the passage of landmark environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, laws soon adopted by many other countries. Half a century later, as temperatures approach 70 degrees in Antarctica, catastrophic wildfires race through Australia and species die off around the world, the planet’s status seems anything but golden. On this Earth Day, the climate crisis that precipitated these events and trends take center stage: The goal is to mobilize millions, perhaps billions, of Earth’s human inhabitants to rise up in its defense. “The urgency has never been greater and the stakes have never been higher,” say the organizers of the Earth Day Network. “We are now in an environmental emergency and a climate breakdown. The world needs you—and your actions—for Earth Day 2020.”
To learn about personal actions, including step-by-step instructions on how to organize an event, consult EarthDay.org. Participants can join in a cleanup of trash from rivers, beaches, streets and forests; host a teach-in; take part in a climate strike or campus rally to show united action; join the world’s largest citizen science initiative to document declining environmental conditions and participate in social media campaigns to raise awareness. Help celebrate victories and support future progress by participating in these local Earth Day 2020 events.
AIKEN, SC
Newberry Street Festival Center Saturday, April 18 – 9am-1pm. Exhibits, kid’s zone, music, Walk in the Woods at 8:30 and 9:30am; People Chase 5K Run at 9:15am; Family Bicycle Ride, 11:45 am. 126 Newberry St., NW, Aiken. earthdayaiken.org.
ASHEVILLE, NC
Earth Day Kid’s Festival Saturday, April 18 – 10am-2pm.
Palmetto Pride Wednesday, April 22 PalmettoPride is coordinating efforts for a statewide cleanup to celebrate Earth Day 2020 and encourages South Carolinians to do their part in joining their local cleanup effort by removing litter from their neighborhoods, beaches, parks schools, etc. 2700 Middleburg Dr., Ste. 216. Register at PalmettoPride.org. For more information, call 877.PAL.PRDE or visit palmettopride.org.
GREENVILLE, SC
Drive Electric Earth Day Saturday, April 18 – 10am-2pm. Resources and information on: the benefits of all-electric and plug-in vehicles, pairing of sustainable solar energy production and EVs, and battery backups for solar installations. 18 and older: For a chance to win $100, register to attend or participate and complete a short survey. Visit website for details, or to register, participate, or volunteer. 147 Welborn St., Greenville. https://driveelectricearthday.org/event. php?eventid=2390
SPARTANBURG, SC
Spartanburg Earth Day Festival Saturday, April 18 – 10am-4pm. This year, the Spartanburg Earth Day Festival is partnering with the University of South Carolina Upstate for a bigger and better festival with greater visibility, inclusive student and faculty academic input, and broader publicity. Topics: Plastic Pollution and Sea Turtles, Our Vital Watershed, No Man’s Land Film Festival. USC Upstate Campus, 800 University Way, Spartanburg. SpartanburgEarthDay.org April 2020
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