Well, everyone, April has arrived. The birds are chirping, grass is turning green and tulips are beginning to poke they’re head through the ground. I think we can safely say that Spring is here in full force. On my morning walks to work I usually see birds flying by with bits of grass or twigs in their mouth, getting a start on the nest.

April is also significant for another reason– it’s Earth Month. A month out of the year where we stop to celebrate all our earth provides for us and inform others of our impacts on it.

Locally, there are all kinds of events happening around the city and county that you can participate in to clean up our environment  and learn how we can be better stewards of it.

APRIL 15 EARTH DAY BANNER RAISED OUTSIDE CITY HALL
PETERBOROUGH’S TREASURED TREE HUNT LAUNCH
Launch of Peterborough’s Treasured Tree Hunt. Check out the website for all the details www.treasuredtreehunt.com

GREEN DRINKS
Every month people who work in the environmental field meet up for a beverage at informal sessions known as Green Drinks – it’s a chance to mix with other like-minded folks, to network, share info and make friends. Anytime after 5pm at Riley’s Pub, Hearth Room (ground floor, back). 251 George (between King and Sherbrooke). Everyone is welcome.

APRIL 14-16 VOLUNTEER AT ECOLOGY PARK
Volunteers are always welcome at Ecology Park to help in the tree nursery on April 14, 15 and 16, anytime from 9-5, weather permitting.

APRIL 18 EARTH DAY JACKSON CREEK CLEAN UP
Join us for the 11h annual Earth Day Jackson Creek Clean Up Saturday April 18, 2009, 10:00am – 12:00pm.
Meet at the main entrance to Jackson Park (Monghan Road and Parkhill Road). Gloves and bags will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. Volunteers will pick-up litter throughout Jackson Park and along the Creek following the trail towards downtown.

APRIL 19 MILLENNIUM PARK CLEAN UP
Join organizers from 10:00am –12:00pm to receive gloves and bags at the Boat House small building beside the Silver Bean Cafe. A concentrated clean up of the waterfront park and railway bed to George Street will be the focus. Volunteers will be provided with snacks and refreshments from community sponsors at the BBQ after the clean up. Tree seedlings (local native species of course!) will be available for volunteers to take home and plant, and there will be books available for children aged 3-15 to take home.

LAKEFIELD TRAIL NATURE HIKE
Join MNR Biologist, Colin Jones and Natural Areas Ecologist, Mike McMurtry as they share nature’s awakenings. Meet at the Marshland Centre at 10 am for a brief orientation, followed by an interpretive hike along the southern shores of Katchewanooka Lake to the Doug Sadler Viewing Tower at the Imagine the Marsh wetland area. As an addition to the guided nature hike this year, you can purchase a back bacon on a bun breakfast served by the Lakefield Trail Stewardship Committee. For more information, please contact Penny Hebert at 652-0747.

OPIRG REUSABLES GIVE-AWAY
On April 19th, OPIRG will be hosting a massive Give Away from 9am-5pm on the lawn of Sadleir House, 751 George St, Peterborough. All the donated items, ranging from household goods, clothing, office supplies, books, small electronics and miscellaneous items will be available to community members and students, absolutely FREE. We are hoping, but have not yet confirmed we will be offering a free lunch and free entertainment.

Volunteers are also very much needed, so please email us if you can help out! Please note that we will not be accepting computers or furniture. The following organizations can be contacted about accepting those items: Reboot Peterborough 749-5815 (computers)
St.Vincent De Paul 742-2585 or Salvation Army Thrift Store 742-0483 (furniture)

APRIL 20-24 CLEAN AGAIN-GREEN AGAIN SCHOOL YARD CLEAN-UPS
36 local schools will participate by hosting a school yard clean-ups.
MONAGHAN ROAD CLEAN UP AT CGE
Canadian Auto Workers, Canadian General Electric staff and students from Prince of Wales Elementary School work together to clean up the area surrounding CGE and the school on Monaghan Road

APRIL 20-24 PETERBOROUGH GREEN UP QUEST FOR LESS EARTH WEEK CHALLENGE
The Quest for Less Earth Week Challenge, challenges schools and classrooms to bring fully litterless lunch for the entire week of Earth Week. Those that participate can win great prizes including a free class trip to the Ecology Park or a school assembly with the amazing paddling puppeteers. Schools and/or classes need to pre-register by Friday, April 10th, 2009 — just call Peterborough Green-Up 745-3238 ext. 216

PITCH-IN CANADA WEEK
The theme of Pitch-In Canada Week this year is “Operation Clean Sweep”. To become a partner, decide on a project such as starting a cell phone recycling program, planting trees, a neighbourhood clean up or setting up a composting program. Activities can take a few hours, days or be an on-going commitment – it’s up to you. Visit www.pitch-in.ca for more ideas.

APRIL 21-23 VOLUNTEER AT ECOLOGY PARK
Volunteers are always welcome at Ecology Park to help in the tree nursery on April 21, 22 and 23, anytime from 9-5, weather permitting.

APRIL 22 EARTH DAY!
Cleanup your neighbourhood, plant a tree – check out www.earthday.ca for ideas about how to make every day earth day!

2ND ANNUAL KAWARTHA ROTARY CLUB SUPER SPRING CLEAN-UP
Members of the Kawartha Rotary Club, 250 high school students and community volunteers will clean up the City and County of Peterborough. After the clean up, there will be an Earth Day Celebration at Millennium Park including food and drinks, live music and displays at the MNR Building.

ADOPT-A-NEIGHBOURHOOD
Community Groups can contact Duncan Manser at the City of Peterborough Public Works Department 745-1386 to identify areas that they are planning to clean up. Bags, gloves and garbage pick-up will be provided by the City of Peterborough Public Works Department.

APRIL 25 GREEN EXPO 2009
10 am to 4 pm, Evinrude Centre, Peterborough Central Ontario’s source for eco-friendly products and services for building and living. Organic, all natural, recycled, sustainable, fair trade, energy efficient and otherwise good-for-the-earth products and services exhibited throughout the day. Accompanying the exhibits will be presentations on a variety of ‘green’ topics as well as delicious organic food and a supervised children’s area. www.greenexpo.ca

FLEMING PARK CLEAN UP
Peterborough Horticultural Society (PHS) members will be at Fleming Park (Brock and Aylmer St.) from 10 a.m. – 12:00 p. m. PHS members will be pruning, raking and digging as well as cleaning up litter at Fleming Park.
APRIL 26 ECOLOGY PARK OPENS FOR TREE AND COMPOST SALES
Ecology Park will open on Sunday, April 26 from 1-4 pm for trees and compost.