Shoutout to planet Earth for keeping us all grounded. Let’s celebrate.

Tuesday, April 22 marks Earth Day — an annual holiday that is celebrated by more than a billion people across 193 countries. This year’s campaign is “Our Power, Our Planet,” and you can show your strength at these local events:

Earth Day Climate Action Fair

Celebrate Mother Nature with the Columbia Climate Protection Action Committee on Saturday, April 26 at Boyd Plaza. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. you can learn from educators and partake in activities. Be on the lookout for mascots, a photo booth, and face painting.

Earth Day Celebration

Richland Library Cooper will be raising awareness for climate efforts with children's activities through Monday, April 21. On Earth Day, it will host its celebration, 3-5 p.m., featuring more activities, crafts, prizes, and snacks.

Richland Earth Day: Free Drop-Off

Safely dispose of hazardous materials on Saturday, April 19, at the Columbia Place Mall from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Items like household cleaners, pesticides, and fire extinguishers will be accepted. You can also securely bring paper and documents to be shredded.

Make and Create: Trash2Treasure

Head to the Richland Library Edgewood on Tuesday, April 29, 5:30-7:30 p.m., for a guided craft class where you can learn to upcycle materials to reuse them and give them new life.

Earth Day with Congaree Riverkeeper

Head to Bierkeller Columbia starting at 4 p.m. on Earth Day to learn about Congaree Riverkeeper's most recent efforts, and 10% of sales will be donated to the organization.

Interested in volunteering with a local environmental organization in honor of Earth Day? Look no further than Congaree Riverkeeper and Keep The Midlands Beautiful.

Explore more Earth Day

EarthDay.org has a plethora of resources that can help you obsversve the occasion on a larger scale, including:

The 2025 Earth Day Action Toolkit — your resource for all things Earth Day and environmental advocacy.
The Earth Day event finder — search for local events taking place near you.
The Climate Literacy Communications Toolkit — learn about the key messaging and research behind climate literacy.

Additionally, here are a few must-know facts about the history of Earth Day:

Senator Gaylord Nelson spearheaded the creation of Earth Day after witnessing an oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA. Under his leadership, the first Earth Day was in 1970.
The first Earth Day sparked an outpouring of environmental activism, and less than six months later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency were formed.
Earth Day went global in 1990.