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Welcome to our Annual Earth Day Issue!
Thanks to all the organizations who shared their events
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Earth Day is a time to reflect on our responsibility to the planet and take meaningful action to protect it. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, global CO2 emissions have risen by nearly 90%, accelerating climate change and its devastating effects. Here on Cape Cod, we see these impacts firsthand—rising sea levels, intensifying storms, and ocean acidification threaten our communities and ecosystems.
With the change in governmental direction this year, available resources for climate and environmental projects are dwindling, meaning that local action on behalf of adaptation and resilience measures is even more important. The good news is that solutions exist, and when we come together, we can drive meaningful change.
This special Earth Day newsletter highlights events throughout April being held by a variety of organizations that work year-round to promote wise stewardship of our local resources. They recognize the fragility of our environment, and their Earth Day programs are a chance to celebrate and protect this special place we call home. Read on to learn about some of these many events that will be taking place around Cape Cod, and how you can take part.
Join us in celebrating Earth Day all month long, and stay engaged as we work toward a more sustainable and resilient future.
| | All events are free and open to the public – some may require registration. | | |
Unity Cape Cod
Environmental Film Series 2025
Presented by the EarthCare Ministry Team
Unity Cape Cod, 147 Walton Ave., Hyannis
Friday, April 4th | 7:00 p.m.
Earth. Air. Fire. Water.
Sponsored by St. Mary’s Episcopal Church & Unitarian Church of Barnstable
Four mini-documentaries on the four elements by local Wampanoag filmmaker Leslie Jonas. Filmed on Cape Cod. Discussion to follow with Leslie Jonas and Susan Starkey, co-chair of the Faith Communities Environmental Network (FCEN).
Friday, April 11th | 7:00 p.m.
Eating for Tomorrow
Narrated by Kate Winslet, this award-winning film inspires hope and action to heal our planet. Produced by the Food Revolution Network. A discussion with Dr. Kumara Sidhartha will follow, with his new book, All My Secrets, available.
Friday, April 18th | 7:00 p.m.
Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy
Following the film, join Jess Georges, owner of Green Road Refill, and Meghann Lazott, owner of The Glass Jar, for a discussion. The film exposes how top brands use covert tactics to trap us in an endless cycle of buying—and asks, what happens to it all?
Tuesday, April 25th | 10:00 a.m.
Ecosophia
Join former Senator Dan Wolf, Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative board member, and a guest TBA for a discussion. Ecosophia explores the deep connections between energy, economy, resources, and climate change, revealing that true sustainability requires both a spiritual and physical revolution.
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Honor the Earth Fair 2025
Saturday, April 12th | 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Co-hosted by Native Land Conservancy & Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources Department
Wampanoag Govt Center, 483 Great Neck Road South, Mashpee
Join an Earth Day celebration at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe government center featuring exhibitors and vendors with a shared mission to protect and preserve the ancestral homelands of the Wampanoag. Free and open to the public, festivities will include opening remarks by Mashpee Wampanoag Chief Earl Mills Jr., cultural crafts, traditional singing and dancing, activities for children.
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Town of Yarmouth Annual Community Cleanup Day
Saturday, April 12th | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Presented by The Conservation Division & The Department of Public Works
Yarmouth Town Hall, 1146 Route 28, Yarmouth
Join the Town of Yarmouth for Annual Community Cleanup Day! Help make a visible impact in YOUR community alongside fellow volunteers. You'll receive a safety vest, map, instructions, and trash bags—just bring gloves! Afterward, enjoy a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch with entertainment at Yarmouth Town Hall.
Rain date: Sunday, April 30, 9 AM.
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Celebrate Earth Month with Barnstable Land Trust
Hosted by Barnstable Land Trust (BLT)
Wednesday, April 16 | 10:30 a.m.
Earthy Storytime
Sturgis Library, 3090 Main Street, Barnstable
Sturgis Library is teaming up with Barnstable Land Trust for a fun filled, special edition, Earthy Storytime in celebration of Earth Month! Join them for a story, bubbles, songs, crafts, & merriment! Drop in–no registration required.
EARTH DAY Tuesday, April 22 | 10:00 a.m.
Celebrating EARTH DAY with the Poetry of Mary Oliver
BLT Conservation Center, 1540 Main Street, W. Barnstable
Stroll together through the natural world with the words of poet, Mary Oliver, echoing in our minds. Join Ellen Snoeyenbos, founder of the Walking Readers Group, for this unique opportunity to blend literature and nature. The group will walk and pause along the trail at Pogorelc Sanctuary to read poems from Oliver's "Devotions" collection and reflect on what her poetic images mean.
Wednesday, April 23 | 2:00 p.m.
Earth Day Extravaganza
Cotuit Library, 871 Main Street, Cotuit
Join Cotuit Library, Barnstable Land Trust, and the Cotuit Center for the Arts for a tree-mendous post-Earth Day celebration that you won't want to miss! Kids will have fun creating Earth Day crafts on the Art Bus, participating in a nature themed scavenger hunt around the library, identifying parts of plants with microscopes, and music-making with mallets and flowerpots, cans and acorn shakers.
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Cape Cod Canal Clean-Up '25
Saturday, April 19th | 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Barnstable County AmeriCorps Cape Cod and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Herring Run Recreation Area, 810 Scenic HWY, Bourne
This free event welcomes volunteers of all kinds—families, clubs, and businesses. Meet at the Herring Run Recreation Area to help clean up the Cape Cod Canal. Supplies are provided, and participants can enjoy a complimentary lunch, family-friendly activities, and more. Collected trash will be weighed to measure our impact!
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Water is Life: An Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 19th | 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Presented by Truro Climate Action Committee & Truro Public Library
Truro Public Library, 7 Standish Way, North Truro
Celebrate Outer Cape waters this Earth Day with the Truro Climate Action Committee! Create a bottle cap marine mosaic and explore ways to protect our oceans, ponds, and aquifer. Featuring activities and insights from the Truro Climate Action Committee, Center for Coastal Studies, Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer.
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Town of Harwich 2nd Annual Health & Environmental Fair
Saturday, April 19th | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Presented by The Town of Harwich
The 204 Cultural Arts Municipal Building, 204 Sisson Rd., Harwich
Join the Town of Harwich as the Department of Health, Conservation Department, and Cultural Affairs presents the Health & Environmental Fair. Food Trucks, Family Friendly Activities, Art, and Exhibitors. A great day for all to enjoy!
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Speakers Forum on Plastic Waste
EARTH DAY Tuesday, April 22 | 2:00 p.m.
Sponsored by St. Mary's Episcopal Church & Faith Communities Environmental Network (FCEN)
Centerville Library, 585 Main Street, Centerville
Discover how plastic waste threatens Cape Cod’s environment and how to take action. Kathy Raiz (Beyond Plastics) explores its impact on health and nature, Kari Parcell (Cape Cod Cooperative Extension) shares waste reduction strategies, and Jess Georges (Green Road Refill) highlights sustainable alternatives.
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Celebrate Earth Day with the Unitarian Universalist Falmouth Congregation
Presented by the Unitarian Universalist Falmouth Community
Sunday, April 20, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.
We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands
Unitarian Universalist of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich Road, East Falmouth
Celebrate Earth Day with music, stories, and new traditions. They’ll award the UUF Environmental Steward Award and contribute to a Cape Cod Foundation scholarship for high school seniors pursuing environmental studies.
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.
Sandwich Road Clean-up
Unitarian Universalist of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich Road, East Falmouth
Help clean UU Falmouth's section of Sandwich Road. Bring gloves, a water bottle, and wear long sleeves/pants. Sign up in the UUF lobby (ages 14+).
Tuesday, April 30, 2025 | 7:00 p.m.
Environmental Sustainability Webinar: Real Progress Through Collaboration and Communication
Co-Sponsored by UU Falmouth & Faith Communities Environmental Network (FCEN)
Zoom Webinar
Celebrate Earth service with music, readings, shared best practices, and the sounds and images of Cape Cod's natural environment. Learn about Cape sustainability efforts from Falmouth and Barnstable leaders, and discover how to talk about climate change with diverse groups. Join via Zoom!
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Celebrate Earth Week with the Chatham Conservation Foundation
Hosted by Chatham Conservation Foundation (CCF), Friends of Trees, Friends of Chatham Waterways & Friends of Sylvan Gardens
Monday, April 21 | 10:00 a.m.
Trail Walk: Flowering Trees & Shrubs
Frost Fish Creek Trail, 425 Crowell Road, Chatham
Explore Frost Fish Creek with naturalist Tom Walker and learn to identify woody plants without their summer leaves while admiring nature’s beauty.
EARTH DAY Tuesday, April 22 | 10:30 a.m.
Tree Walk: Old Village
Mayo House, 540 Main Street, Chatham
Walk with Friends of Trees along Main Street to Chatham Lighthouse and back, exploring over a dozen notable trees, from historic specimens to resilient “survivors” shaped by storms and human impact.
EARTH DAY Tuesday, April 22 | 4:00 p.m.
Keynote Presentation: Water Quality and the Town of Chatham
Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street, Chatham
Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod will present the keynote address for CCF's annual Earth Week Forum. Gottlieb will address what every resident and visitor should know about the efforts required to preserve our precious waters.
Wednesday, April 23 | 10:00 a.m.
Film Series & Panel Discussion
Chatham Orpheum, 637 Main Street, Chatham
Friends of Chatham Waterways presents Saving Our Ponds, a WHOI short film screening, followed by a panel with experts from APCC, OLAUG, Chatham Shellfish, and DPW, moderated by board member Natalie Coleman-Fuller.
Thursday, April 24 | 10:30 a.m.
Tree Walk: Chase Park
Chase Park, Shattuck Place, Chatham
Explore over two dozen notable trees in Chatham’s Chase Park with Friends of Trees. Learn about both decades-old and newly planted specimens on this easy, accessible walk.
ARBOR DAY Friday, April 25 | 11:00 a.m.
Whip/Small Sapling Give-Away
Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street, Chatham
Plant a tree for Arbor Day! Friends of Trees is offering free whips and small saplings to help you get started on your journey to create a greener, more sustainable environment. Pick up your sapling, learn how to care for it, and be part of making our community even more beautiful and eco-friendly.
Saturday, April 26 | 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Town Clean-Up
Mayo House, 540 Main Street, Chatham
Help clean up Chatham’s roadsides with local groups! Supplies provided. Meet at Mayo House for a 1–2 mile, one-hour cleanup. Fun for all ages!
Saturday, April 26 | 9:00 a.m.
Whip/Small Sapling Give-Away
Mayo House, 540 Main Street, Chatham
Missed the first pick-up? Friends of Trees is offering another chance to pick up a free sapling and start your tree-planting journey!
Saturday, April 26 | 1:00 p.m.
Guided Walks: Trees & Daffodils at Sylvan Gardens
Sylvan Gardens, 88 Old Main Street, Chatham
Take a guided stroll through Sylvan Gardens to see native trees, ornamentals, and blooming daffodils with Friends of Sylvan Gardens.
Sunday, April 27 | 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Small Sapling Distribution at Local Places of Worship
Chase Park, Chatham
Don't worry, there's one more day to grab your free sapling and contribute to a greener future.
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Earth Day Service "Seeing With New Eyes"
Sunday, April 27th | 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Hosted by the Unitarian Church of Barnstable
3330 Main Street, Barnstable
Experience Joanna Macy’s “Spiral of the Work That Reconnects” and explore how to respond with love and local action to protect all our “kin”- human and more than human. Led by the Green Sanctuary members, UCB’s Youth Group, and Rev.Dr. Kristen Harper.
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Community Climate Leaders Conference
Wednesday, April 30th | 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Hosted by the MassEnergize
Bentley University, 175 Forest Street, Waltham
MassEnergize is hosting its 2nd Annual Community Climate Leaders Conference on April 30 at Bentley University in Waltham. Ideal for those driving local climate action—grassroots volunteers, town committees, and municipal or nonprofit members. Connect, learn, and be inspired alongside peers and experts. Hear from top voices, including from Rewiring America, Yale’s Climate Change Communication program, and more. This year, MassEnergize is adding a free late afternoon session starting at 4pm, featuring a Nonprofit Fair and a screening of the award winning movie Inundation District, followed by a Q&A session with movie director and Boston Globe reporter, David Abel.
While free, registration is required for the late afternoon session.
| | | | Regional resources for climate advocates | |
We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is reduce the Cape & Islands' contributions to climate change and protect our region from its potentially devastating impacts. We depend upon the generosity of our stakeholders to conduct our work.
All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
| | We welcome climate news from your home, school, business, town, faith community, or organization. Please submit your news, events, or article ideas to info@capecodclimate.org. | | | | |
