Boulder Bridge in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C. on 11/16/2019 by Daniel Kelly licensed under Creative Commons.

Earth Day is an annual celebration that both honors the achievements of the environmental movement and calls for global action to protect Earth and its natural resources for future generations. It is celebrated on April 22 in the United States and on either April 22 or on the day the spring equinox occurs throughout the rest of the world. We encourage you to reflect on Earth Day and everyday how each emission-free or emission-lite trip taken (i.e. biking, walking, or taking transit) is a tiny act of kindness towards the planet we call home.

Celebrate Earth Day this Saturday, April 22, 2023 at one of the following events at a location near you! From a multi-sensory walking tour to trail and watershed cleanups, there is a plethora of events you can participate in for this year’s annual Earth Day Celebration. Check out the following opportunities to celebrate Earth Day throughout the greater Washington region this weekend:

Help clean the river and trails at Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm: The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) is partnering with the National Park Service and the Potomac Riverkeeper Network along with our friends at Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative, Friends of Oxon Run, Capital Trails Coalition, and DC’s Department of Energy & Environment. There will be opportunities to volunteer in two shifts, with access from both the DC and Maryland sides of this hidden gem of a park. Learn more and register here.

  • Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
  • Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM and/or 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Location: Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm 6411 Oxon Hill Road Oxon Hill, MD 20745 (and DC Access Points)

Help remove invasive honeysuckle plants on Mt. Vernon Trail: Join the Friends of Mount Vernon Trail in celebrating Earth Day by removing invasive bush honeysuckle from the trail near the 14th Street Bridge. Learn more about the restoration event and register here.

  • Day: Saturday, April 22, 2023
  • Time: 9:00 - 11:00 AM
  • Location: Columbia Island Marina George Washington Memorial Parkway Arlington, VA 22202 (near the Mount Vernon Trail)

Remove invasive plants at Rock Creek Park: Invasive plants are a major threat to our fragile forests, and stopping their spread helps allow for a thriving native understory. Join Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service for this invasive plant removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park at Trail 9. Learn more about the event and register to attend here.

  • Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
  • Time: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
  • Location: Trail 9 (near the intersection of Broad Branch Road and Beach Drive NW)

Show off your sustainability tips, skills, and talents at an Earth Day Exchange and Brunch: Whether you want to share how you compost, demonstrate a bike repair, present your passion for climate communication, do climate comedy, or anything else, everyone has something to bring to the climate movement—no matter how big or small. Join DC EcoWomen and Citizens’ Climate Lobby for a Green Talk and Talents. Learn more about the event and reserve your spot here.

  • Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
  • Time: 11:00 am–12:00 pm
  • Teaism (Penn Quarter), 400 8th St NW, Washington, DC

Join in on the meditative fun in multi-sensory walking tour of the Marvin Gaye Trail: Join WABA’s Trail Rangers and well-being expert Radiance Basden for a multi-sensory walking tour on Sunday, April 23rd. The walk will feature meditation and prompts to activate your awareness of your environmental impact. Learn more about the multi-sensory tour and register here.

  • Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023
  • Time: 11:30AM to 1:00PM
  • Location: Marvin Gaye Mosaic, 4215 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave NE Washington DC

Thursday, April 20:

Discuss how affordable housing is financed in the District of Columbia: Ever wondered why we don’t have more dedicated affordable housing in the city and region? Why does it cost so much to build? What does it actually take to put together the money to build affordable housing, especially deeply affordable housing? Understanding housing affordability financing is a critical component in both preserving and building affordable housing – and understanding it is key to creating policies that are effective and truly address the housing needs of DC’s most vulnerable residents.

Join the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) and partners in the discussion on financing affordable housing in the District. Learn more about the event and register here.

  • Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023
  • Time: 6:30 PM –8:00 PM
  • Location: Virtual

Friday, April 21:

Celebrate 50 years of Metrobus and provide your input on the Better Bus Network Redesign draft routes: Buses keep our region moving, providing more than 500,000 trips each day. Better Bus is an initiative to rethink, redesign, and revitalize bus service to better serve the needs of customers in the region. It is the region’s first comprehensive redesign of the entire Metrobus network since its creation in 1973. Through a network redesign, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is taking a fresh and detailed look at their bus service and routes to serve residents better.

Join WMATA for their launch party on Friday, April 21, 2023 to celebrate 50 years of Metrobus and gather your input on the Visionary Network’s draft routes.The event will include special guest appearances by local performance artists, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke, local elected officials, and more! Learn more about the project here and the celebratory event here.

  • Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
  • Time: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
  • Location: TheArc, 1901 Mississippi Avenue SE, Washington, DC

Sunday, April 23:

April Ward 1.5 meet-up: Civic engagement can be both rewarding and frustrating, but it should never be lonely. If you’re looking to connect with other folks—especially in Wards 1 and 2—who think neighbors are nicer than neighborhood character and that cities should be for people, not for cars, come out this Sunday at 3 pm for this month’s meet-up at Grand Duchess in Adams Morgan. Learn more and sign up here.

  • Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023
  • Time: 3:00 - 5:00 PM
  • Location: Grand Duchess, 2337 18th St NW Washington, DC 20009

Thursday, April 27:

One week left to buy tickets to GGWash’s Spring Soirée: Celebrate 15 years with GGWash at our Spring Soiree on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at Hook Hall from 6:00 - 9:00 PM! Our Spring Soirée is your chance to connect with people from across the Washington region who are passionate about making our communities greater, toast to regional wins, and dream big about what’s next. Come celebrate with us!

View more upcoming events on our calendar!


Community members submit events for inclusion on our events posts and in our events calendar. Submit your event here. Submissions may be edited for context and clarity.

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Tagged: affordable housing, bus, cleanup, dc, development, earth, earth day, events, maryland, nature, river, rock creek parkway, transit, virginia

Karly Meyer was an Engagement Fellow at Greater Greater Washington. She was a student at George Washington University majoring in Public Health with minors in Sustainability and Biology. Karly discovered her interests in urban planning and active transportation while studying sustainable development in Copenhagen, Denmark. She grew up in Exeter, New Hampshire and used to live in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC.