San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Earth Day 2021
How to celebrate virtually, or in person, with Bay Area organizations
Earth Day, the worldwide day of environmental activism held annually since 1970, returns on Thursday, April 22. April 1725 is also National Park Week, which features special programs, events and digital experiences focused on the natural world. Celebrate this year’s official Earth Day theme, “Together, We Can Restore Our Earth,” and activate change for good with many inperson options in the Bay Area, as well as virtual offerings for all.
San Francisco has planned a second year of celebrating the holiday virtually with a robust lineup of dynamic speakers, live music, “artivism” and a sustainable chef ’s zone. The city of Oakland has made an online hub to find local community actions for residents to participate in on their website. The East Bay Regional Parks and the city of Napa are offering online programming as well, featuring webinars and local cleanup volunteer opportunities. Some cities, including Colma and Santa Rosa, plan to present driveup events where patrons can pick up goodies and information on other ways to get involved.
Check out The Chronicle’s list below for ways you can be a part of the discussion, celebrate Earth Day and take action this year with local, outdoor and virtual events:
Virtual events
Earthrise: In Honor of Earth Day: Online film screening followed by a conversation with filmmaker Emmanuel VaughnLee. Coproduced by the Dance Palace and Emergence Magazine.
6 p.m. Sunday, April 18. Free, donations encouraged. Reservations required. 4156631075. dancepalace.org
Grace Cathedral’s Spring Forum Online with Ellie Cohen: Join Malcolm Clemens Young in conversation with Climate Center CEO Ellie Cohen regarding where the planet is today, what society needs to do to heal it and how we can get there.
6 p.m. Monday, April 19. Free, $10 suggested donation. Available to stream on the Grace Cathedral Facebook and YouTube channels. 4157496300. gracecathedral.org
EV 101: Electrify Your Ride event: An online forum for those curious about going “gas free” with their next car purchase. Learn the basics about electric vehicle models, charging, incentives and cost in an interactive online presentation. Review the pros and cons of current available models.
4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, and 12:30 p.m. April 29. Free, register online for Zoom links. drivecleanbayarea.org 12th Annual Point Reyes Birding and Nature Festival/ Environmental Action Committee of West Marin’s 50th Anniversary: Four days of online speakers and virtual activities focused on local birdwatching and ornithological interest, including a day of free youth and familybased programming planned for Saturday, April 24.
9 a.m.7 p.m. ThursdaySunday, April 2225. Free$120. point re yes birding festival.org Scratch Space: Virtual Conversations on the Role of the Radical Imaginary: “Episode 18: Digging Down Into Our
Planetary Futures.” Lucas Artists Residency Program curator Donna Conwell and director Kelly Sicat plan to host an online Earth Day conversation with conceptual artist/ curator Xin Liu, planetary desert ecologist/astrobiologist Kimberley WarrenRhodes and program director for SETI Institute’s ArtistinResidency Program Bettina Forget to discuss astrobiology and the planet’s sustainability crisis. Noon Thursday, April 22. Free, donations encouraged. Reservations required. 4089615800. montalvoarts.org
Earth Day 2021: Taking Action for People and the Planet: Cal State Student Association sustainability officer Armando Sepulveda II is scheduled to moderate an online panel discussion with young leaders of the environmental and climate justice movement, followed by actionoriented breakout discussions. Speakers include environmental educator/Story of Stuff Project member Sage Lenier, founder/executive director of OneUpAction Kevin Patel, climate activist/ environmental media host Kristy Drutman and a Bay Area chapter Sunrise Movement representative. Noon Thursday, April 22. Free, registration required. 4153381111. sustain.sfsu.edu
San Francisco IndieFest’s 2021 Livable Planet Film Festival: Produced by Jeff Ross and Chris Metzler, the festival kicking off on Earth Day will showcase 67 independent films from around the world focused on environmental issues. Curated into themed sections, the festival organizers hope to help attendees engage with sustainable solutions to problems facing the planet. The complete schedule is available at livableplanet2021.eventive.org. April 22May 2. $10$220, reservations required. 4156623378. sfindie.com.
Exploratorium Virtual Earth Day Celebration: Join a familyfriendly online program exploring earth science in your kitchen, environmental benefits from sheltering in place, the concept of exponential growth as well as some big ideas behind the science of Earth’s systems.
1 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Free. Available to stream on the Exploratorium’s website, YouTube and Facebook channels. explorator ium.edu
Saving Rare Plants of California: In honor of Earth Day, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden curator Holly Forbes plans to discuss the various ways the garden is involved in native California flora conservation efforts. Forbes’ conservation
work includes a largeflowered fiddleneck recovery project and saving Baker’s Larkspur from extinction.
1 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Free, $5$10 suggested donation. Registration required. 5106432755. botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu
eTown’s 30th b’Earthday Online Musical Celebration:
Reflecting on 30 years of live music paired with social and environmental programming, eTown plans to host an online party. The livestreamed event will feature music performances and conversation with Bob Weir, Los Lobos, the War and Treaty, Lyle Lovett, Sam Bush, City and Colour and youth artist Raquel Garcia. Former U.S. Senator and environmental advocate Tim Wirth and others will moderate the discussion portion of the event.
5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Free, registration required. etown. org
Dominican University of California Spring 2021 Leadership Lecture Series: Heidi Kühn: Book Passage and Dominican University present founder/CEO of Roots of Peace Heidi Kühn, in an online conversation with president emeritus of the World Food Prize/ ambassador Kenneth Quinn. They will discuss her memoir and calltoaction book “Breaking Ground.” The lecture is hosted by Dominican’s Institute for Leadership Studies, which offers archived past conversations in the series on their website.
6 p.m. Thursday, April 22. $40, includes a copy of “Breaking Ground.” Registration required. 4159270960, ext. 1. bookpassage. com
After Dark Online: Earth Day: Celebrate voices at the forefront of environmental justice action in a livestreamed evening event aimed at audiences 18 and older, featuring organizations offering tools for climate resilience and advocates for meaningful change through legislation.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Free. Available to stream on the Exploratorium YouTube and Facebook channels. 4155284444. exploratorium.edu
NightSchool: Earth Day for the People: The California Academy of Sciences plans to highlight its projects at a local level in this livestreamed event, aimed at audiences 21 and older. Get inspired by people and organizations radically changing the health of the environment through sustainable development, and discuss how to scale efforts for larger project sizes.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Free. Available to stream on the Cal Academy’s Facebook and YouTube channels. 4153798000. calacademy.org
2021 Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Tour: Enjoy a livestreamed edition of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Hosted by Citizens Climate Lobby, in partnership with the David Brower Center, Earth Island Institute, Communities for a Better Environment and Green the Church, it is set to include films showcasing local and global frontline communities in the fight for environmental justice and restoration. The films will also be available to screen on demand from April 2327.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 22. $15$45, reserve a ticket online. 5108090900. browercenter.org
S.F. Public Library Earth Day Presentation with Ink Dwell Studio’s Jane Kim and Thayer Walker: Join Ink Dwell studio artist Jane Kim and writer Thayer Walker in an online Earth Day conversation with the artists as they discuss their current and future works.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Free, registration required. 4155574557. sfpl.org
“Saving the Dark” Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Online screening of a documentary film focused on astronomy and light pollution. Learn about the significance of the effects of this type of pollution on human health and wildlife and what people can do to help. Panelists will include film producer Sriram Murali in discussion with astronomers Richard Ozer and Gerald McKeegan.
7 p.m. Friday, April 23. Free. Available to stream on the Chabot Space and Science Center’s Face350 Bay Area Earth Week 2021 Celebration for the Planet: An online event acknowledging the work of climate activist/cofounder of the Bay Area Chapter of the Climate Reality Project WeiTai Kwok, Richmond City Council member Eduardo Martinez, youth climate activist/Youth vs. Apocalypse founding member Isha Clarke and representatives from environmental justice organization Communities for a Better Environment. Each of the honorees is scheduled to lead a breakout session on a topic they are passionate about.
5 p.m. Saturday, April 24. Free, donations encouraged. Registration required. 350bayarea.org Berkeley Ecology Center: Online Seed Saving Class: Join Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library master gardener Trish Clifford, and get information on becoming a more selfsufficient gardener by growing out your vegetables and saving the seeds for next year’s crop. Learn how to avoid crosspollination so seeds will grow like the parent seeds, and how to gather and store seeds.
6 p.m. April 26. Free. Reservations required. 5105482220. ecolog ycenter.org
Inperson offerings
2021 City Nature Challenge Started in 2016 as a competition between San Francisco and Los Angeles by community science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the annual fourday global bioblitz challenge has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their cities. Attendees will need the iNaturalist app to participate.