A&E

Julius Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day, was born on April 22. The renowned tree-hugger shares his birthday with the March equinox and Earth Day. Commemorating the two is a series of events in April—Earth Month—intended to raise awareness about environmental conservation.

The largest event is Green Apple Festival-America. Five hundred thousand people are expected to come to eight different venues across the country, including one in Central Park.

The events at Central Park start at noon on Friday, April 18, and end on Sunday, April 20. The entrance is at 72nd street and 5th avenue. Also, there will be free shows leading up to the Central Park event, including one at the Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street) with the bands Telepath, Digital Frontier, and Kinetix. Bands will also make appearances at other downtown venues like the Canal Room (285 West Broadway) and the Mercury Lounge (217 East Houston Street).

New York’s annual EarthFair, another environmental program, will be held at Vanderbilt Avenue on Friday, April 18 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Together with Earth Week, held in Grand Central Terminal, there will be more than 50 exhibitors, including the Earth Day Network, Toyota’s Mobile Hybrid Experience, and Everybody Green.

New York University (NYU) started its annual Earth month on Sunday, February 24 with a concert featuring NYU bands. On Earth Day, there is also a traditional street fair at Washington Place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., full of campus and local environmental groups.

Perhaps the most hands-on recycling experience is New York’s Swap-O-Rama, held at NYU on Saturday, April 27 from 12 to 6 p.m. It is a giant clothing swap, free for NYU students and 10 dollars for guests. In addition to the entrance fee, attendees must supply a bag of clothing. People can take their finds to booths manned by NYC designers, who lead do-it-yourself workshops and offer free sewing stations and silk screening. The day ends with a fashion show where people can show off their creations.

There are many activities that can be done to raise awareness of the state of our planet—while some are more hands-on and entertaining than educational, these events are another step to a healthy planet.