Our planet is fantastic, but it needs our help to strive! Each year, on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day. You can typically find special Earth Day activities in Wichita at the Great Plains Nature Center, Botanica, Sedgwick County Zoo, and more.
Earth Day is all about celebrating our planet. This holiday was first observed in 1970 and has become a global movement. The purpose of Earth Day is to bring awareness to the environment and is a good reminder that everyone can make a difference in preserving and protecting our planet.
Things to Do on Earth Day in Wichita:
- Work in your yard and plant some flowers.
- Johnson’s Garden Centers: A family-owned garden center operating since the 1920s, offering a wide selection of plants and gardening supplies
- East Location: 6225 E. Shadybrook St?
- West Location: 2707 W. 13th St N
- Dutch’s Greenhouse: Established in 1957, this full-service garden center provides a variety of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and gardening supplies.
- Address: 5043 S. Seneca S.
- Plant Kingdom Greenhouse Outlet: A family-run business since 1932, featuring annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, and a variety of houseplants.
- Address: 3640 S. Topeka St
- Hillside Nursery: A long-standing nursery offering a selection of plants and landscaping.
- Address: 2200 S. Hillside S
- Johnson’s Garden Centers: A family-owned garden center operating since the 1920s, offering a wide selection of plants and gardening supplies
- Connect with nature by visiting a Wichita Park in or around Wichita and pick up that piece of trash on your way to the slide.
- Take a shorter shower to help conserve water.
- Visit one of the many Walking and Biking Trails in Wichait and pick up any trash along the way.
- Take a walk in your neighborhood and pick up plastics and trash.
- Visit O.J. Watson Park, where you can kayak, pedal boat, ride the train, fish, play volleyball, or play.
- Take a virtual tour of these Zoos and Gardens.
- Rent a Kayak and pick up trash along the Arkansas River.
- Make an animal shelter or a bird feeder, reuse a milk carton, a large water or soda bottle, popsicle sticks, or any other eco-friendly art supplies, and let your child’s creativity go wild!
Earth Day Events in Wichita
Spring Work Day at Great Plains Nature Center
Date: April 11
Full Article: Spring Work Day at Great Plains Nature Center
Earth Day Starter Plant Sale
Date: Sunday, April 27
More Info: Earth Day Festival & Starter Plant Sale
Earth Day Fun Facts:
- The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 when a US senator from Wisconsin organized a national event to bring awareness about environmental issues
- By 1990 Earth Day was an event celebrated by more than 140 countries around the globe.
- The number of garbage trucks Americans fill each year would stretch halfway to the moon.
- Toilet paper tubes, made from cardboard, take two months to decompose in a landfill.
- A plastic bottle sticks around for way longer—it can take over 450 years to break down!
- In its lifetime, one reusable bag can prevent the use of 600 plastic bags.
- Shutting down a computer when it’s not in use cuts energy consumption by 85 percent.
- Recycling one soda can save enough energy to power a tv for three hours.
