Check out these local Earth Day events coming up!

I Keep Norfolk Beautiful

A host of events this month . . . check out their website at: http://www.norfolkbeautiful.org/ 
 
Earth Day Celebration at the Virginia Living Museum
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Virginia Living Museum 524 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard Newport News

The Virginia Living Museum celebrates Earth Day with a weekend of special activities for our animals. Watch the animals receive toys, treats and other enrichment activities to stimulate natural behaviors. See the red wolves and coyotes devour ice treats, watch the raccoon search a basket full of newspapers, all part of a stimulation process that usually occurs behind-the-scenes. See special earth friendly animal shows. Learn ways to help the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling waste and learn how to build and garden green. Several environmental organizations and vendors will have displays and information about conservation measures. There will also be crafts for kids, eco-friendly giveaways and thousands of native plants for sale. Bring sneakers, cell phones, batteries to recycle.

Virginia Port Authority & Virginia International Terminals Electronic Recycling Day
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Time: 9:00 am-3:00 pm
Location: Portsmouth Operations Center (next to the Portsmouth marine Terminal)

Types of electronics accepted (but not limited to): Computers, keyboards, monitors, printers, scanners, televisions, gaming systems, MP3 players, cell phones, digital clocks, batteries, stereos, telephones, answering machines, etc. All who drop off will be entered to win a $200 American Express Gift Card! http://media1.vit.org/news/erecyclingday.pdf

Spring Native Plant Sale at the Virginia Living Museum
Date: April 16th-17th, 23rd
Time: Saturday, 9:00 am - 3:00 p; Sunday noon to 3 p.m.
Location: Virginia Living Museum 524 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard Newport News

Choose from an incredible array of beautiful and unusual native plants for a variety of garden sites, from wet ponds to dry rock gardens. Many of these are excellent plants for attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife to your yard. Native plants are good choices for area gardeners because such plants tolerate the area's weather and serve as food and shelter for area wildlife, while also providing a good show in the garden. The Virginia Living Museum's horticulture staff holds this annual sale as a fund-raiser, but the real goal is to introduce the gardening public to the incredible variety of native plants that will do well in the landscape, and to educate them about those which are better left in the wild. All plants are nursery propagated and many are not yet available in the commercial nursery trade. Sale held rain or shine.

Norfolk Master Gardeners
Date: Thursday, April 21st
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Chrysler Museum, 245 W Olney Rd, Norfolk

As part of Historic Garden Week in Virginia, Norfolk Master Gardeners and the Plant Doctor will be available to help with plant problems and discuss gardening questions at the Chrysler Museum.  Various neighborhood and regional green initiatives will have informative displays, including PlantMorePlants and HRgreen. Eco-Gardening and Rain Gardens will also be showcased.
In addition, the Chrysler Museum will offer a special “Flowers in Art” tour of its collection and visiting horticulture experts from Norfolk, England (sister city) will give a panel presentation on English Gardens at 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium.  Activities at the museum are free.  Tour tickets and lunch are available for a fee.

Historic Triangle Earth Day Fair
Date: Friday April 22, 2011
Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location: Historic Freight Shed at Riverwalk Landing 331 Water Street, Yorktown, VA

Recycle your electronics, plastic shopping bags, cell phones, rechargeable batteries and printer toner cartridges. Free document shredding service. Free reusable shopping tote and lots of other giveaways. Hosted by Counties of York and James City, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the city of Williamsburg, Virginia Peninsulas Public Service Authority, Busch Gardens Williamsburg/Water Country U.S. A., and Anheuser-Busch Williamsburg Brewery. 

GreenBuildIt: Not Your Usual House Tour 2.0
Date: April 22, 2011
Time: 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: 435 W 30th Street, Norfolk, VA

Experience two of Hampton Roads' coolest, greenest, most energy efficient homes designed for LEED certification with music by DJ LRDMRCY and DJ OH!BOY. The homes are located at 435 W 30th St (NKOTB House) and 439 W 30th St (H1 House); both home tours are free and open to the public.
 
View details of the homes here: http://www.hrgbc.org/downloads/435_W_30th_Tour_Invite.pdf
 
Reservations are requested to assist in tour planning. For more information or to RSVP, please email john@greenbuildit.com or click the Facebook event link: http://bit.ly/hHhlYz

Suffolk County Earth Day Recycling Event
Date: April 23, 2011
Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location: Bennett's Creek Park, 3000 Bennett's Creek Park Rd., Suffolk VA

Suffolk residents help Keep Suffolk Beautiful celebrate Earth Day with our very own Recycling Extravaganza at Bennett's Creek Park. Recycle your tires, electronics waste, plastics, newspapers and no cost shredding of office paper or files!

Party for the Planet!
Date: April 23rd
Time: 10:00 am-Noon
Location: Virginia Zoo

Party for the Planet is in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). During the event, visitors can join a celebration of Earth and animals that will bring out their wild side. Participants will learn about the conservation steps they can take to protect habitat locally and worldwide. They will have opportunities to see how our keepers use enrichment to encourage our animals' natural behavior, keeping them healthy and happy. Visitors will even get to play with the kinds of toys we give animals, ranging from meerkats to elephants. All event activities are included with general admission.

Layfayette River Fest
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2011
Time: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Colonial Place Waterfront 500 Block, Norfolk

Come on out to the event of the year to inspire pride and stewardship for your home river! Partners have planned 20+ fun, educational activities celebrating the joys of the Lafayette River – and inviting you to star in taking care of the river. You'll find all you need to earn our FREE yard flag as a River Star Home. Activities include: kayak, canoe, stand-up paddle race, rain barrel workshop, learning barge and free canoeing and kayaking, catch & release fishing tournament, and live music all day.

National Drug Take Back Day
Date: Saturday April 30, 2011
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Multiple Locations across Hampton Roads

In an effort to address the abuse of prescription drugs, the DEA, in conjunction with state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, has scheduled a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.  This is a great opportunity for people who have unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of them.

Follow this link to use the zip code locator to find a Drug Take Back Event near you: http://1.usa.gov/hYReNh .
 
Virginia Beach 2011 Earth Day Celebration
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2011
Time: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Mount Trash more Park, Virginia Beach

This event is free and open to the public and will once again be held at Mount Trash more Park – Hampton Roads own landfill-to-park success story.
For more information, please contact Katie Hanger, 2011 Earth Day Coordinator at (757) 385-0426 or kwhanger@vbgov.com.