7 Fun Earth Day Activities in San Diego This Year

“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew”- Marshall McLuhan.

Earth Day is an annual global event held every April 22^nd promoting clean living and a healthy, sustainable habitat for humanity and wildlife. Environmental protection has been at the forefront of this movement since its inception in 1970 and is celebrated with various Earth Day activities during that day and even spread out during all of April. Today, the Earth Day network has expanded to include one billion people in more than 193 countries. 

I recall my first Earth Day when I was a freshman in high school and our student council planted trees in our local area of the Midwest. Though it was my first, I vowed it wouldn’t be my last.

How to Celebrate Earth Day in San Diego

In San Diego, we can celebrate Earth Day in a number of ways. We’re especially blessed with great weather which allows for numerous options to spend the day outdoors supporting the aspects of the movement we believe in most.

Here are some suggestions on ways you and your family can embrace San Diego Earth Day 2021.

San Diego Earth Fair Balboa Park

As the largest free annual environmental fair in the World, Earth Fair 2021 will be held as usual in Balboa Park.  The event draws around 50,000 visitors every year, all in support of living in a clean, healthy, and prosperous environment. 

IMPORTANT: This year due to COVID, the event will take place on September 19^th, 2021. Those who would love to get more involved can even sign up to volunteer for this year’s event.

More than 300 exhibitors representing many environmental organizations, government programs, and commercial enterprises all united with the same mission. Some focus on traditional conservation, wildlife preservation, growing of natural organic crops, alternative energy, ecotourism, alternative and traditional health care products, clean air products, and even sponsored pet adoptions. Take a look at the 2019 promotional video to see what to expect.

Visit The Flower Fields in Carlsbad

Open from March 1^st to May 9^th, the nationally-renowned Flower Fields in Carlsbad boast 50-acres of blooming ranunculus (cool-season spring flowers). The fields are breathtaking and the mix of vibrant colors is beautiful. This wonderful event welcoming spring has been aweing locals and visitors alike in San Diego for over 40 years. Guests can also tour artist gardens, pick their own blueberries, view the American flag of colors, hop on antique tractor wagon tours, and more.

Advanced reservation tickets are available on line and masks are required for staff and visitors. If you haven’t visited The Flower Fields, make it a priority. They are magnificent!

Creek to Bay Cleanup

San Diegans can register to be part of the largest single-day environmental action event in the county. This year the 19^th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup’s hefty goal is to remove 30,000 pounds of litter in a county-wide effort. This one-day cleanup helps prevent tons of litter from entering our creeks, bays, and the ocean.

On April 24^th from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, volunteers will grab their buckets, work gloves, and litter grabbers. Participants can target their community by choosing a block, park, beach, canyon, or neighborhood. You can register online as either an individual or a group and create a profile. Once you register, you receive a cleanup report form link and QR code to help report trash totals after participants have completed their cleanup. 

Take a Hike

Hiking in San Diego is a healthy and fun thing to do and we have so many incredible options like Torrey Pines, Point Loma Bayside Trail, Mission Trails Regional Park, and Cowles Mountain, just to name a few. 

So, what does hiking have to do with Earth Day? Well, we get to be outdoors, get some exercise, enjoy the blessings of nature, and bask in our clean fresh air environment. Consider picking up some trash or litter along the way keeping within the Earth Day spirit and helping to make our favorite trails spit-spot clean.

Support the San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo (which also includes its Safari Park in Escondido) is on the leading edge of collaborating with community-led conservation efforts addressing the health of wildlife, ecosystems, and human communities.

Locals and visitors alike can help these global efforts by visiting the zoo, purchasing a yearly pass, or symbolically adopting a species through the Zoo’s Wildlife Alliance Adoption Program.

Plant a Tree

Something our grown children still remember from their childhood is planting a tree in honor of Earth Day. Depending upon where we lived, we either joined a school-sponsored event or did it as a family. And they loved going back to see how those trees have grown over the years.

This is especially important here in San Diego County where wildfires devastated neighborhoods and canyons. Head to your neighborhood nursery, pick out a tree, and plant it somewhere. It’s such a simple, but feel-good thing to do.

Learn to Compost

Composting can improve the quality of your soil, reduce waste and air pollution, while saving energy, money, and water. Turn your garbage into gold by signing up for a backyard composting workshop through the Solana Center.

Future workshops include “starting your own compost pile,” a “virtual family composting course,” “building a worm bin,” and more. Participants can sign up here for a full schedule of events.

However you choose to celebrate Earth Day, enjoy. But keep in mind that every day can and should be an Earth Day by choosing to do something, even in the smallest way.

Noreen Kompanik wrote Best Earth Day Activities in San Diego for San Diego Explorer.com

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Last Updated on December 5, 2022 by sandiegoexplorer