Every year, we get one measly day to celebrate this giant life-giving ball that floats through infinite space.
Let’s celebrate it right.
There are a lot fun festivities around lush, green Gainesville, so take a big breath of Mother Nature’s fresh oxygen and check out our guide to Earth Day in Gainesville.
We Are Neutral’s Earth Day Celebration at First Magnitude
We Are Neutral is a nonprofit organization that strives to offset carbon emissions by performing free-of-charge home energy upgrades for low-income residents and by planting indigenous trees on local conservation lands.
On Friday, April 22 from 4-10 p.m., We Are Neutral will be holding an event at First Magnitude Brewing Company, 1220 SE Veitch St., to celebrate Earth.
There will be live music from Don-King, GUTS/Gainesville and Endless Pools, delicious wood-fired pizza from Humble Pie, a silent auction and, of course, flowing pints of discounted First Magnitude beer. Get your tickets here!
Use promo code “BIKE” for $2.00 off and “STUDENT” for $5.00 off.
Spring Native Plant Sale
Let’s get friendly… by learning about the variety of Florida-friendly plants that you can plant in your garden, that is.
The 2016 Spring Native Plant Sale will take place on Saturday, April 23 at Morningside Nature Center, 3540 E. University Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The event will feature native shrubs, trees, wildflowers, ferns, grasses and vines grown at area nurseries.
Feel free to splurge on as many native shrubs as your little green heart (and thumb) desires because the free Park-a-Plant service allows you to shop hands-free while your plants are tagged, stored and eventually loaded into your car for you. If you’re cool enough (or an exclusive member of the Friends of Nature Parks and Florida Native Plant Society), you will be able to shop the sale on Friday, April 22 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. before anyone else.
Proceeds from the sale benefit environmental and cultural history programs offered by the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.
Gainesville Arts Market
Join some creative locals at the Gainesville Arts Market on Saturday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the SoMa Art Media Hub parking lot, 601 S Main St.
Vendors will be selling plants, arts and crafts and there will be showings of eco films. If you’ve been itching for one of those dinosaur planters, we found them at this market!
Earth Day at Florida Museum of Natural History
Plants on plants on plants.
On April 15-17, the Florida Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Rd., will host a large plants sale with more than 150 species of hard-to-find and pollinator-friendly plants. That’s amazing considering we can probably only name a maximum of 10 species of plants.
On April 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the museum will host Earth Day activities in the adjacent UF Natural Area Teaching Laboratory, which will include seeing diverse specimens from the museum’s vast collections.
Bring yourself, your little brother and even your great grandma for a grand and green ol’ time.
Tree Fest
Yes, you can drink a delicious beer and help the Earth at the same damn time.
Tree Fest, held on Saturday, April 23 from 1-11 p.m. at Swamp Head Brewery, will plant five trees for every beer purchased at Swamp Head during the event.
The annual event that is held around Earth Day and Arbor Day each year, is presented by Solar Impact and hosted at Swamp Head to support the Alachua Conservation Trust.
Solar Impact, a company that helps homeowners and businesses switch to clean, affordable energy, plants 500 trees for every residential solar installation and 1,000 trees for every commercial solar installation.
If you don’t want to drink beer but are still in the mood to be green, buying a food item or donating a dollar will get one tree planted.
Along with beer, there will be food trucks and family-friendly activities from 1 to 4 p.m.
Get Outdoors
If you haven’t explored the beauty of Gainesville’s nature, what exactly are you waiting for?
Check out our list of some of the trails here and some other nature spots here. (Swimming in a sinkhole, anyone?)
