Saturday, April 22, 2023, marks the 53rd annual Earth Day, a reminder that solving climate change and other environmental issues will require time, energy, and resources from all of us. The 2023 Earth Day theme is In Our Planet. When we Invest In Our Planet together, we are supporting healthy, happy, and wealthy communities worldwide.
Of course, Cape Cod will have some Earth Day events on April 22 and the days leading up to that date, and you can participate during a visit to the Cape.
It’s never too late to get involved with the environmental movement and begin doing your part to protect the planet. Here’s a look at some Earth Day 2023 events on Cape Cod.
Brewster Earth Day Week Events
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster will host numerous events the week before Earth Day, giving you plenty of opportunities to participate.
For starters, there will be guided family walks every day of the week between April 15 and 21, taking you through the marshland surrounding the venue and to a beach overlooking Cape Cod Bay.
The facility will also host a reptile show on April 15, some scientific experiments on April 16, and environmentally friendly craft-making on April 17.
That’s not all, as you can learn about soap bubble science on April 18, get to know humpback whales on April 19, and walk through a gray whale on April 20.
All events except the reptile show are free, with paid museum admission, for the entire family, although space is limited, so pre-registration is recommended.
Earth Day Week in Chatham
The Chatham Conservation Foundation will host multiple events on and after Earth Day, ensuring you can get involved if you’re on the Cape between April 22 and 30.
On April 22, you can participate in a conservation land roadside clean-up with the Boy Scouts, the Garden Club, and other local groups. You can also head to the Earth Day Celebration at Oyster Pond for some music, poetry, and readings.
On April 23, there’s a free daffodil walk at Sylvan Gardens, while a screening of the Emmy-Award-winning documentary “The Story of Plastic” will be held on April 26 at the Orpheum Theater.
There’s the Walking Tour of Trees in the Old Village on April 27, and you can pick up a free native oak tree seedling to plant from the Chatham Community Center on April 28 and April 29.
Cape Cod naturalist Tom Walker will also host a tree identification webinar on April 30, but you don’t have to be on the Cape to attend because it’s entirely online.
The “Planet PTown” Film Series
If you’re in the Provincetown area for Earth Day, you won’t want to miss the Provincetown Film Society’s “Planet PTown” film series. This event will feature short and feature-length films focusing on climate change and the ocean and runs between April 21 and 23.
April 21 will feature Deep Rising, a film narrated by Jason Momoa focusing on how mining the deep ocean for metals could be on the horizon.
On April 22, there will be a series of short films regarding various environmental topics, and April 23 will see Last of the Right Whales hit the screen.
All films will be shown at Water’s Edge Cinema on Commercial Street, and you can pick up a three-day pass for just $45.
Earth Day in Eastham
Eastham Celebrates Earth Day is a special event between 8:00 and 9:00 AM on April 22. The gist is that the Eastham Chamber of Commerce is looking for volunteers to help clean some of the town’s beaches and outdoor areas to ensure they stay beautiful for years to come.
Locations you can help clean include First Encounter Beach, Herring Brook Landing, Sandy Meadow Trails, Thumpertown Beach, Campground Beach, Great Pond Beach, and Wiley Park. You’ll need to pre-register to volunteer for the clean-up.
The Cape Cod Canal Clean-Up
AmeriCorps Cape Cod and the US Army Corps of Engineers are teaming up on April 22, 2023, for a clean-up event around the Cape Cod Canal.
The 23rd annual Cape Cod Canal Clean-Up runs from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM and will bring people from all over the Cape to the Herring Run Recreation Area to assist with the job.
All clean-up supplies will be provided, and lunch and some interactive activities will be available once you complete your cleaning.
Earth Day Little Bay Clean-Up
In Bourne, there will be an organized clean-up of the Little Bay Conservation Area on April 22 between 1:00 and 5:00 PM. Volunteers are encouraged to show up and help remove garbage from the trails and woods of Monks Park and the Little Bay Walking Trails.
This event will be unique because volunteers can also take their kayaks into the bay and help clean Toby’s Island, an uninhabited location a short distance from shore. If you want to explore the Cape’s bays anyway, removing some trash during your travels makes a lot of sense.
Harwich Climate Action Network Celebrates Earth Day
The Earth Day event in Harwich takes place between 3:30 and 6:00 PM on April 21 and will feature an art show, children’s activities, an earth celebration, and some poetry readings. There will also be a talk by Andrew Gottlieb, the executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod.
This event is free and will be held at the 204 Cultural Arts Municipal Building.
Get Involved on Earth Day
Participating in one of Cape Cod’s various Earth Day 2023 events won’t take much of your time, but you can return home knowing you helped keep this pristine part of the country beautiful. It’s up to all of us who love and appreciate the Cape’s natural magnificence to do our part to protect its environment moving forward.
