The Earth Month celebrations in Evanston have been held on Zoom for the past two years. As the city hosts more in-person events, Rachel Rosner, board president of Citizens’ Greener Evanston, said this year’s Earth Month will bring back the collaborative spirit of the city’s climate movement.
“It’s like a reunion of the environmental community,” Rosner said. “This year feels much more about connection, which is also a really critical component to addressing climate change.”
CGE, which works in Evanston to make it more sustainable, is just one of many groups that are trying to bring people together around sustainability through a variety events this April.
Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan was implemented in 2018. It set a goal for the city to be carbon neutral by 2050. However, the city has yet to implement concrete policies. Community leaders stressed the importance of residents participating in climate activism this month.
Residents can participate in an assortment of in-person celebrations or online presentations. Here’s a look at some of Evanston’s Earth Month events.
April 1: “We’re No Fools!” Launch Party, 5 to 8 p.m., 1245 Hartrey Ave.
Friday night will be Earth Month’s first day. The WasteShed, a nonprofit creative reuse center, and Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse, a building material use center, will host a launch party. Evanston author Susie Pratt will read excerpts from her new book “More or Less: Essays from a Year of No Buying.” Attendees can also play games, dance and do arts and crafts. RegisterMasks and gloves are required.
April 10: Art Makers Outpost Celebration from 12-4 p.m. 609 South Boulevard
Art Makers Outpost in South Evanston, an arts center that is environmentally conscious and dedicated to repurposed arts, will host an Earth Month celebration. It will feature a drum circle with arts and crafts, community mural paint, and a plant exchange.
Valerie Kahan, Art Makers Outpost’s owner and founder, said her business’ mission of waste reduction aligns with the community’s passion for sustainability.
“When people were home for the last couple years during the pandemic, they probably became acutely aware of how much garbage they were producing,” Kahan said. “People have become more aware overall, and everybody wants to make a difference.”
April 22: D65 10th Film Festival, 6:30 pm, 1560 Sherman Ave
District 65’s Climate Action Teams will host a film festival at the Rotary International Headquarters on Earth Day, screening 10-second films about climate change and sustainability made by Evanston youth.
The organization hopes to make District 65 more environmentally-friendly and recently pushed for the district to reduce waste and hire a sustainability coordinator.
Chad Calease, organizer of the film festival, stated that this event helps students understand these initiatives.
“Kids are pretty open minded, and they’re pretty expressive,” Calease said. “We really wanted to give them a venue to transmit their thoughts and feelings about this.”
Film submissionsYou can still visit them until midnight on April 21.
April 23: Evanston Ecology Center Earth Day at 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 2024 McCormick Ave
The Evanston Ecology Center will host a family-friendly event the day after Earth Day. Swap of seeds with Edible Evanston, the Evanston Environmental Association’s Bird Buzz Native Plant SaleYou can find out more.
“One of the really wonderful things about plants is that they are a carbon offset,” said Julia Bunn, vice president of the EEA. “Some of the plants (at the sale) will be indicated for putting into your rain garden or managing downspout water off of buildings.”
The EEA will host two Zoom presentations.April 6And April 27Information about the benefits to planting native plants in your community in preparation for its sale
Robert Crown Library Events
The Robert Crown Branch of the Evanston Public Library will host multiple environmentally-focused events throughout the month. These include:April 6 presentationOn-site demonstrations of native plant gardens and hands-on workshops Workshop for bike repairsApril 21. Two meetings of the Trustees will also be held. Evanston Repair Cafe co-sponsored by Citizens’ Greener Evanston, on April 9 and 21 where residents can fix electronics, appliances and other items together.
With so much happening throughout Evanston this month, Calease said he’s excited to see how his film festival and other events around the city can unify residents around CARP’s message.
“We are all geared towards the same goal, which is to see CARP not just as a written document, but as a living fact,” Calease said.
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