This edition of the Earth Matters newsletter is brought to you by the Environmental Education Program within Pierce County's Office of Resilience and Climate Action (ORCA). Learn more at PierceCountyWa.gov/EnviroEd.

April is Earth Month

Celebrate our planet and take meaningful action to protect it during Earth Month in April! 

Earth Day Celebration

Join us for Pierce County’s Earth Day Celebration from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at Meridian Habitat Park in South Hill.

This free event offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Participate in a variety of free demonstrations, try out nature activities and fun games suitable for all ages, and take a break in our quiet tent.

*Get our limited-edition Earth Day sticker at the celebration!

Discover events and resources

Make the most of Earth Month! Visit PierceCountyWa.gov/EarthMonth to see events and resources in one place.

Register for a class in our Earth Matters Series, get new gear at the Pierce County Bike Swap, explore vegetable gardening with an Edible Gardens Workshop, and more.

Take action

Spring into action during Earth Month and beyond! Small steps—like planting a tree, picking up litter, or creating a grocery shopping list so you waste less food—can make a big difference for our planet.

What is one action you could commit to this April to help our planet? Visit PierceCountyWa.gov/Sustainability2030 for more ideas!

Youth Climate Festival, Council in the Works

Our YESS (Youth Engaged in Sustainable Solutions) network has two exciting opportunities for youth to take climate action this year:

Our Environmental Education team is working with WSU Puyallup Extension Master Gardeners to mentor students and teachers at North Tapps Middle School as they build the school’s sharing garden. 

What started out as an after-school “garden club” is now a full-year class, with students planning, maintaining, and harvesting vegetables from the garden.

With the help of our team, students will collect food waste from the kitchen, feed it to one of five worm compost bins, and create a nutrient rich soil amendment for their garden.

"Our students are given the opportunity to work side-by-side with Master Gardeners," said science teachers Taylor Arrighi and Lisa Pritchett when asked about the value of this partnership. “They guide our kids through every part of the season, from the first seeds to the final harvest. This hands-on work goes way beyond what a textbook can teach. Our students get to learn the right way to build things and the best times to plant directly from the experts. The best part is that some of what we grow is given to our school kitchen and served at lunch, so the kids get to eat the fresh food they worked so hard to raise.”

Michelle Prestin and Kim Mace, who are Master Gardener school garden mentors, shared how rewarding volunteering at the school has been.

“I have seen how kids excitedly come together in the garden, leaving behind some of the complex social dynamics of middle school," Michelle said. "Everyone finds a place in a community garden, whether it be moving dirt, whacking at weeds, creating habitat for wildlife, or delicately planting little seeds.”

“I love the joy that I see in the kids digging in the dirt, seeing seedlings growing, and harvesting their produce,” Kim added.

Together with our partners, our Environmental Education team is working across Pierce County to create “living laboratories” where children investigate science, practice problem-solving, and connect classroom learning to the natural world. Learn about our school programs.

Make Reusable Bags Part of Your Routine

You can save money, reduce waste, and protect our environment by bringing a reusable bag on your shopping trips!

Washington state banned thin single-use plastic bags back in 2021 because they often end up as litter, threatening waterways and wildlife.

Retailers had to switch to thicker plastic bags or paper bags for a fee. In January 2026, the fee increased so now retailers must charge an 8-cent fee per paper bag and a 12-cent fee per thick reusable plastic bag, but they are also allowed to charge more.

Clean paper bags can go in your recycling cart, but plastic bags should never be put in recycling. Some stores do offer drop-off locations for plastic bag recycling. The best way to avoid all of this is to make it a habit to bring your own bags!

Make it stick

Here are a few tips to create this habit:

• Store bags in your car trunk, bike pannier, or near your front door.
• Do curbside grocery pickup? Click “use my own bags,” and they will load into your bags in the trunk.
• Keep a foldable bag in your backpack or work bag for unexpected stops.
• Set a phone reminder before your regular grocery trip.
• After unloading groceries, return your bags to your vehicle right away.
• Don’t forget to wash your reusable bags regularly—especially after carrying meat, dairy, or produce—to keep them clean and extend their lifespan.

Reusable bags aren’t just for groceries. Bring them to farmers markets, retail shops, pharmacies, and community events. By making reusable bags part of your routine, you’re helping build a cleaner, more sustainable Pierce County.

Grow Your Knowledge This Spring

Our Earth Matters Series continues this spring with new learning opportunities designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools to create a more livable community for everyone!

Visit PierceCountyWa.gov/EarthMattersSeries to view the full schedule and register.

April Edible Gardens Workshops

Explore the basics of successful vegetable gardening with our free Edible Gardens Workshop Series. Workshops are taught by educators from Pierce County and Harvest Pierce County. 

In April, our offerings include: 

• Garden Care, April 4
• Garden Bugs, April 11

Hybrid and in-person classes are offered through October. View the schedule and register. Help us spread the word with our flyer.

Read with us:

• Pierce County's 2026 Earth Matters newsletter
• 7 Reasons Bike Lanes and Sidewalks Are Good for Drivers, Toole Design
• How to Ride Bikes with Kids in Cities: A Step-by-Step Guide for Family Transportation, bikabout

Watch with us:

• Invasive Stink Bug Surveillance & Identification Workshop recording, Washington Invasive Species Council

Listen with us:

• Audio Book: Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World, Edward Humes

Do with us:

• Paper shredding events: 
• Parkland/Spanaway: April 4, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 
• Dupont: April 11, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 
• Edgewood: April 25, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 
• WSU Master Gardener Saturday Talks from 10–11 a.m.:
• Growing Tomatoes in the PNW: April 11 in Gig Harbor
• Reimagining Your Lawn: April 18 in Puyallup
• Forest Stewardship class: April 19, 1–5 p.m., YMCA Camp Seymour
• Pierce County Bike Swap: April 25, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Tacoma Community College
• Pierce County Solid Waste staff at the Puyallup Farmers Market answering your recycling and food/yard waste collection questions. May 2, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Pioneer Park
• South Sound Sustainability Expo: May 2, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., UW Tacoma
• Test drive an electric car at the Electric Car Guest Drive: May 2, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Olympic College in Bremerton
• WSU Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale: May 2–3, Puyallup
• Tacoma Tool Library
• Fix-It Nights: Every Thursday from 5:30–7:30 p.m.
• Sewing Machine Basics: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month from 6–7:30 p.m.
• Make-it Sew (guided sewing practice): 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays. 100% self-directed.
• Pierce County Library System story times, STEAM kids game labs, book sales, and more! See what’s happening at the library nearest you!

Civic Engagement Opportunities:

• Summer Planning Academy for high school students, Puget Sound Regional Council

Teacher Professional Development:

• June teacher professional development workshops with Pierce County environmental educators. Registration closes May 15.
• Save the date: Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME) Annual Conference, Oct. 2-4, Federal Way