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Looking to give back on Earth Day? Here are just a few of the many, many opportunities available in the greater Milwaukee area.
Friday, April 17
Sixth Annual Recycled Art Contest Exhibit @ ReStore East, 5-9 p.m.
Milwaukee’s Habitat for Humanity ReStores are celebrating reusing and repurposing with the Sixth Annual Recycled Art Contest exhibit currently on display at ReStore East (420 S. First St.). The exhibit, featured in this year’s Gallery Night & Day, showcases eclectic works of art and repurposed items that were created primarily with ReStore products, with artists ranging from professionals like C. Kai Marquardt of Flowquest Design Build to group art classes from the Milwaukee Center for Independence. Works are judged by the public with polling stations in the store and online and the top five vote-getters receive ReStore shopping sprees. Winners will be revealed April 17 at ReStore East. (Exhibit also open Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
Saturday, April 18
Stuff the Truck for Independence @ The Pettit National Ice Center, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
IndependenceFirst will host an eRecycling Drive benefiting people with disabilities at the Pettit National Ice Center. Donate your old electronics—anything with a plug or a battery computers, laptops, cell phones, tablets, appliances, TVs and computer accessories (mice, keyboards, etc.). A small fee for tube TVs or screens may apply. For more information, click here.
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Great American Cleanup @ Washington Park, 8:30 a.m.
The Milwaukee County Parks, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful and Milwaukee Riverkeeper are seeking people to lend a helping hand to clean up the parks, parkways and rivers during the Great American Cleanup Kickoff. While cleanups will occur throughout Milwaukee County, the kickoff event will begin with onsite registration at 8:30 a.m. at 1859 N. 40th St. Participants will receive coupons for free admission to several local attractions and are invited to the volunteer Trash Bashes after the cleanup, held at locations on all three rivers. For more information and to register, visit kgmb.org. The Great American Cleanup program for southeastern Wisconsin runs through May 31.
Spring River Cleanup @ Multiple Locations, 9 a.m.-noon
Help clean up the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers by participating in Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s annual Spring Clean Up. Clear Water Outdoor is partnering up with other local businesses to participate and you can too. There are more than 50 clean-up sites and volunteers are provided with bags, gloves and free T-shirts. After the cleanup, Milwaukee Riverkeeper will host a Trash Bash for volunteers that includes drinks, food, raffle prizes and more at Estabrook Park (Picnic Area 5 near the Beer Garden), Jacobus Park (Picnic Area 2 inside the Pavilion on the lower level) and 6th and Cleveland, where the concrete channel meets the naturalized portion of the KK River. For more information or to register, email rivercleanup@milwaukeeriverkeeper.org or call 414-287-0207 ext. 6.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore Donation Blitz @ Mayfair Mall, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Mayfair Mall hosts the fourth annual ReStore Donation Drive at Macy’s northeast parking lot to help support Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. Gently used home furnishings, building and improvement supplies, and appliances are accepted. The fundraiser brings in thousands of dollars for Habitat and keeps more than one million pounds of usable materials out of local landfills each year. Donations will be resold at Habitat’s two Milwaukee County ReStores—the social enterprise arm of Habitat—with all proceeds supporting Habitat’s goal of eliminating poverty housing in the community. Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call 414-257-9078.
Eighth Annual Green Living Festival @ The Domes, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Eighth Annual Green Living Festival at the Mitchell Park Domes (524 S. Layton Blvd.) is centered on healthy strategies and sustainability this year. A free, one-hour Yoga for Beginners class will be offered at 10 a.m. Between 9 a.m. and noon, learn about composting and vermiculture (worm composting). At noon, fiber artist Timothy Westbrook will showcase his high fashion with low impact, and at 1 p.m., Tim Southwick Johnson will perform vocal and instrumental pieces inspired by Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac. From 1-4 p.m., select from a variety of seeds for vegetable or pollinator gardens and plant them in small containers. More than 25 organizations will be participating and exhibiting. The Green Living Festival is included in regular Domes admission. For more information, call 414-257-5600.
Third Annual Environmental Art Show @ Concordia University Center for Environmental Stewardship, 6-9:30 p.m.
Concordia University’s Center for Environmental Stewardship (CCES) welcomes the public to its third annual Environmental Art Show, which includes a silent auction with all proceeds benefiting outreach programs for children at the CCES. Admission to the grand opening is $10. The art show continues through May 5, open noon-6 p.m. daily. For more information, contact Bruce Bessert at 262-243-4555 or bruce.bessert@cuw.edu, or visit cuw.edu.
Sixth Annual Work*Play*Earth Day @ Multiple Locations
Celebrate Earth Day by helping out at Wisconsin state park, forest, trail and wildlife properties during the Sixth Annual Work*Play*Earth Day. Volunteer events will be held April 18 and 25 and May 2. Volunteers will plant trees and shrubs, install benches, remove invasive plants, paint picnic tables and other structures, rake and clean up leaves, and pick up litter. One exciting event included is an Arbor Day tree planting at High Cliff State Park on April 25. Volunteers should check with the park, forest, trail or recreation area where they would like to participate for event start times and details. Refreshments and appreciation gifts will be provided. For more information, contact Patricia Loosen at 608-264-8994 or Patricia.Loosen@wisconsin.gov.
Tuesday, April 21
Green Vehicles Workshop and Showcase @ MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus, 8:45 a.m.-2 p.m.
The 12th annual Green Vehicles Workshop and Showcase will feature a morning workshop and a display of vehicles that utilize green technologies in the afternoon. The workshop will have panel discussions on vehicle fuel trends and smart fleets of the future. The free vehicle showcase will be on the plaza outside the Student Center and feature a CNG (compressed natural gas) Honda Civic, an electric motorcycle, a CNG police interceptor, a Ford C-Max Energi PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), a Nissan LEAF and Tesla Model S. Registration is $20 for the workshop and lunch or $15 for the workshop only. For more information, contact Erika Noble at 414-221-4487 or erika.noble@wicleancities.org.
Wednesday, April 22
‘Milwaukee: A City Built On Water’ Documentary Premieres on Earth Day
John Gurda and Claudia Looze’s new one-hour documentary, Milwaukee: A City Built on Water, tells the full story of our relationship with water and how it has influenced our great city. Gurda traces the beginning of Milwaukee’s relationship with water, how it is used for work and play, and what we need to do to protect it going forward. The program will premiere on MPTV 10 and 36.2 at 8 p.m. and will be re-broadcast April 23 at 9 p.m. on MPTV 36. For more information, click here.
Help Build A Community Garden Park @ Corner of West 27th Street and Richardson Place
Volunteers are needed to assist Neighborhood House of Milwaukee and Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association Metro Milwaukee Chapter in breaking ground for a new Garden Park Monday, April 20, Tuesday, April 21, and on Earth Day. A ground-breaking ceremony will be held April 22 at 1 p.m. Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, a West Side community center, is developing the site on the vacant corner of West 27th Street and Richardson Place as a new urban agriculture/urban park initiative that will feature a mix of garden beds, play areas, a small amphitheater and rain gardens. To volunteer, contact Niki Espy at 414-933-6161, ext. 156 or nespy@nh-milw.org. For more information on this project, contact Jeff Martinka at 414-933-6161, ext. 125 or jmartinka@nh-milw.org.
Milwaukee’s Fourth Annual Earth Day Celebration @ The Riverwalk, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The City of Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability and the Department of Public Works with Rock the Green hosts Milwaukee’s Fourth Annual Earth Day Celebration. This outdoor event is located at the end of East Mason Street on the Riverwalk. In case of inclement weather, the event will move indoors to the lobby of the CityCenter. The celebration includes a bicycle pedal-powered stage from Power by the People that will feature live music by WAMI Award nominee De La Buena. Other eco-friendly efforts include waste reclamation stations as well as local, sustainable and organic food options from Simmer, YellowBellies, Urban Kettle, The Fast Foodie, Hardwood Café and Gouda Girls. Onsite eco-educational booths will feature event sponsors and organizations including Me2, Milwaukee Shines, Recycle for Good, Bublr Bikes, ZipCar, Shepherd Express, Alice’s Garden and many more. For more information, click here.
Neighborhood Clean-Up @ Garden Homes Park, 9 a.m.-noon
Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, in partnership with Wells Fargo, is teaming up with the Uniting Garden Homes community and other volunteers to clean up Garden Homes Park. For more information, call 414-444-8200.
Arbor Day Celebration @ Boerner Botanical Gardens, 10:15 a.m.
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and third graders from Edgerton Elementary School will commemorate Arbor Day by planting three paper birch trees in the Boerner Botanical Gardens. The schoolchildren will recite wishes they’ve written on slips of paper before placing them in the holes with the trees. After the ceremony, adults may take part in a 45-minute tree walk through the Arboretum led by horticulturist Dave Wanninger. Free saplings will be available to the first 100 visitors (Red Oak, White Oak, Swamp White Oak and Black Oak). For more information, call 414-525-5601 or click here.
Saturday, April 25
Eleventh Annual Earth Day Work and Learn Day @ Riveredge Nature Center, 9 a.m.-noon
Bring the family to this free event to help prepare the beds in the organic garden, spruce up the trails, conduct grounds clean-up and invasive species eradication, or split and stack wood for the maple sugarin’ programs. A spaghetti lunch will be served at noon after the work is done. Senior Naturalist Mandie Zopp will do a presentation on bats and the bat monitoring project. For more details and to register, call 262-375-2715 or click here.
Community Film Event @ Avalon Atmospheric Theater & Lounge, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
The newly renovated Avalon Atmospheric Theater & Lounge (2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) hosts a Saturday morning special event called “Our Water,” which talks about our relationship to the most precious natural resource we know. It features Life in Our Lake, an eight-minute film by Michael Timm that dramatizes the quagga mussel invasion of Lake Michigan; Inland Seas, a 49-minute documentary by scientist Rebecca Klaper and Matthew Radcliff detailing issues surrounding diversion requests to the Great Lakes; Milwaukee: A City Built on Water, a 57-minute documentary by Claudia Looze and historian John Gurda about our city’s water history; and shorts produced by Jenny Plevin and the Milwaukee Water Commons. There will be a 15-minute talkback featuring Gurda, Klaper and other water leaders. Advance tickets are $11 ($10 plus a $1 online processing fee). The films are suitable for all ages. Doors open at 9 a.m. Street parking is available. For more information, click here.
Earth Day Celebration @ Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, 10 a.m-1 p.m.
Sierra Club and Great Water Group’s Earth Day celebration titled “Protecting Our Great Water in an Age of Climate Change” starts with a 10 a.m. Schlitz Audubon tour followed by registration, refreshments and the Great Water Group presenting Mayor Tom Barrett with the Urban Sustainability Award. Speakers include Paul Roebber, director of the Innovative Weather program at UW-Milwaukee, and Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Cheryl Nenn. Stick around for a raptor demonstration and a short hike to tour the grounds at 1 p.m., weather permitting. There is no entrance fee. For more information, contact Dianne Dagelen at 414-771-1505 or ddagelen@sbcglobal.net.
Sunday, April 26
In Celebration of Earth Day Event @ Wehr Nature Center, 1-4 p.m.
Enjoy an afternoon filled with earth- and family-friendly activities at Wehr Nature Center in Whitnall Park, 9701 W. College Ave. This year’s celebration features an interactive presentation by Kohl’s Wild Theater at 2 p.m., book signings by authors of family outdoor adventure guides at 3 p.m., a manual typewriter “Type-In,” naturalist-led walks focused on signs of spring and recycled crafts and activities in the early childhood nature play space. General admission is $3, Friends of Wehr pay $2 and children 2 and younger get in free. Parking is $3. For more information, call 414-425-8550 or click here.
Thursday, April 30
11th Annual Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference @ Harley-Davidson Museum, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sweet Water’s Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference offers a full day of presentations, panel discussions and workshops to learn about alleviating stormwater runoff and improving water quality. Featured are 38 speakers in four different tracks covering a variety of topics, including regional water project updates, successful permeable pavement installations and other green infrastructure best-management practices. All this is followed by a cocktail hour to wrap it up and connect. Registration fee until April 22 is $90 for community members and $30 for students, and includes a Harley-Davidson Museum pass. Click here to register.
Throughout April
BETR Earth Day Challenge Clothing Donation Drive
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that an average person throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year. Instead of throwing it away, consider donating it to participating Milwaukee-area schools for the Better Earth Textile Recycling (BETR) Earth Day Challenge, a clothing recycling drive happening the entire month of April. Student “Green Teams” from Glendale, Whitefish Bay and New Berlin are competing to win the first BETR Earth Day Challenge by recycling the largest amount of used clothing at their school and in their community. The school that collects the most clothes and shoes will receive a BETR Earth Day 2015 Trophy and a $250 gift card for the school. All clothes collected will be recycled and will help employ and clothe people in need in developing countries all around the world. For more information, click here. Participating schools and clothing drop-off locations are listed below.
• Glen Hills Middle School (2600 W. Mill Road)
• Parkway Elementary (5910 N. Milwaukee River Pkwy.)
• Holy Family Parish School (4849 N. Wildwood Ave.)
• New Berlin Eisenhower Middle/High (4333 S. Sunnyslope Road)
• New Berlin West Middle/High (18695 W. Cleveland Ave.)
• Elmwood Elementary (5900 S. Sunnyslope Road)
• Orchard Lane Elementary (2015 S. Sunnyslope Road)
• Poplar Creek Elementary (17401 W. Cleveland Ave.)
• Ronald Reagan Elementary (4225 S. Calhoun Road)
Year Round
Recycle Your Refrigerator or Freezer
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, will haul away your old fridge or freezer and pay you $40. Focus on Energy has also joined forces with Sears in Wisconsin so when residents buy a new refrigerator or freezer at a participating location, they can have their old appliance picked up at the same time their new refrigerator or freezer is delivered and still receive the $40 incentive. Units picked up through the program must be in working order and are transported to a recycling facility in Franklin, where 95% of the materials are reclaimed for reuse in manufacturing new products. Participating Sears locations include Appleton, Brookfield, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Greendale, Janesville, Kenosha, Madison East and West, and Wausau. The program is available year-round to Wisconsin residents of participating electric utilities. To schedule a pickup, call 855-398-5226 or click here.
