Earth Day this year is scheduled for Monday, April 22, 2024. The annual celebration, which first began in 1970 on April 22, has been going strong year to year, with people all over the globe doing their part and taking action to protect this planet.

Typically, people celebrate this day by organizing neighborhood clean-ups to pick up trash and even planting trees. So, how are Rhode Islanders celebrating Earth Day this year? There are dozens of events those interested in taking part in can sign up for and volunteer their time.

In Johnston, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) is holding an event on April 20.

According to their website, this event, which is one of several for their lineup of Earth Month 2024 events is aimed at beautifying “the Hillside Avenue to Manton Pond section of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway in Johnston.”

“We’re going to be doing some garden bed maintenance of some garden beds that are on the bike path and near it,” Mackenzie Kourie, the organization’s event and volunteer coordinator, said. “So we’ll be clearing out some of the brush in some spots and laying mulch. And then we’ll be doing a light painting of some of the bollards that are there protecting the bike path from the road of it. And there’s a bulletin board – we’re going to give that a fresh coat of paint. Then we’ll also be doing a big trash sweep in water and on land. There’s a spot behind the Stop and Shop there that has a bunch of trash build-up. So we plan to try and get behind there, really attack that, then also do some in-water [clean-ups], put people in waders and we’ll be planting some flowers and other native stuff.”

Kourie says that the first Clean Day event in Johnston dates back to 1996, which consisted of “Tulip planting behind Stop and Shop, before the bike Path even existed.”

“We have lots of projects coming up in Johnston, including Installation of outdoor classrooms and flood prevention, and other habitat restoration plans with potential clean up events associated,” Kourie added.

This event will also sign off on community hours for those who need their hours. Registration for this event and others organized by the WRWC can be found on their website: wrwc.org.

Even outside of the communities of Cranston, Johnston and Warwick, there are opportunities for Rhode Islanders to get involved during this month/Earth Day celebration. A list of additional volunteer opportunities can be viewed at litterfree.ri.gov.