Celebrate Earth Day at a Community Cleanup

Volunteers at a past cleanup event hosted by the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. Courtesy of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council

Editor’s note: This article has been updated from an original version which published in April 2022.

Earth Day is here, and that means it’s time to grab your gardening gloves and litter pickers and head outside to grab some trash.

Not alone, of course. Every year, organizations around Rhode Island coordinate community cleanups to mark Earth Day, which is being celebrated this Monday, April 22. Though cleanups also take place throughout the warmer months, Earth Day offers a special opportunity for new volunteers to get involved.

“In addition to just the environmental significance of these Earth Day events and these other activities, we also need people to come out and be a part of what we’re doing,” says Yvonne Wingard, communications manager for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, one of several organizations hosting cleanup events this weekend.

The WRWC was founded in the 1990s to help enhance lower-income areas of Providence by transforming the Woonasquatucket River that ran through them. Today, the organization helps maintain green space throughout the river’s watershed.

“It’s just as important that we maintain those spaces, and so keeping what we’ve built beautiful is very important, and that’s also why we need help from folks,” Wingard adds.

As part of its Earth Month Event Series, the WRWC will host a cleanup on Saturday, April 20, in the Hillside Avenue to Manton Pond section of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway in Johnston. Supplies will be provided though the council recommends bringing a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated. Registration is required here. That same day, they are partnering with Farm Fresh Rhode Island for a special Earth Day Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market will include themed activities like how to correctly sort your wast, free soil testing by the URI Master Gardeners, free and fun kids activities with the Farm Fresh RI Community Education team and more. Get more info here. The Council is also hosting an Earth Day Celebration event with Revive the Roots on Sunday, April 21, from noon to 3 p.m. The Whale Guitar will provide provide live tunes and there will be two art making opportunities in the form of a Fairy House Workshop with Artists’ Exchange and a Community Nature Mandala collaborative workshop with Ivy Ross. Learn more here.

Other organizations are hosting events over the weekend or later in the month. Wingard recommends checking the WRWC website (or your local organization’s website) to learn about events happening later in the year.

“Our Earth Day events are not the only way to get involved. If you can’t, or maybe you hear about us too late, we’ve got all kinds of things happening throughout the year,” she says.

Here are some cleanups and other Earth Day celebrations happening locally this weekend.

Earth Day Celebrations at the Museum of Natural History, Providence
Now through Sunday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Explore a variety of family-friendly, hands-on activities related to our local and global ecosystems. Learn more here.

Downtown Cleanup, Providence
Friday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. Meet at the Landing, 101 Dyer St., Providence. Hosted by the Providence Downtown Neighborhood Association. Register here.

Earth Day Roger Williams Park Beautification and Clean Up
Friday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Clark Dalrymple Boathouse. Get involved and help keep Roger Williams Park looking it’s very best this spring. They will supply the materials and tools, you supply the energy. Register here.

Mayor Brett P. Smiley’s Wonders of Water Earth Day Celebration, Providence
Friday, April 19th, from noon to 3 p.m. Meet at the Clark Dalrymple Boathouse. Volunteers and community partners will enjoy local music, food, speeches and stormwater information and resources. Celebrate Earth Day stewardship and possibly go home with your very own rain barrel at the Wonders of Water Celebration in Roger Williams Park. Register here.

The Wonders of Water Earth Day Celebration at the Roger Williams Park Boathouse Lawn, Providence
Monday, April 22, from noon to 4 p.m.  Join the the Providence Parks Department, P3 (The Partnership for Providence Parks, Recreation Centers, and Streetscapes), Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and Stormwater Innovation Center  for a special day of stormwater mural painting, green infrastructure tours, art, food, community clean-ups and fun. Learn more here.

Riverbank Cleanup, Providence
Saturday, April 20, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Narragansett Boat Club, 2 River Dr., Providence. Hosted by the Blackstone Parks Conservancy and the Geo Club of Brown University. Learn more here.

Transforming The Landscape Audubon Native Plants & Pollinators Symposium, Providence
Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join Audubon for a spring symposium on Transforming the Landscape and learn how to become part of a sustainable community and support our native species by creating beautiful pollinator habitat at home. Learn more here.

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