Earth Day Activities in Chicago

CHICAGO - April 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Every April, Chicagoans young and old look to set aside their big-city business and take a moment to help celebrate the Earth and environment that they call home. There are all kinds of 2013 Earth Day activities here in Chicago taking place throughout April. The following Earth Day activities will offer locals a chance to go green.

Earth Day Parks & Reserve Clean-Up
This year will mark the 24th Annual Earth Day Parks & Preserves Clean-Up. From 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 20th this huge event will bring Chicagoans together to be part of a spring-cleaning of Chicago-area neighborhood parks. Interested participants can volunteer here (http://www.earthdaychicago.com/events/earthday-reg.aspx) to pitch in and help “clean and green” a local city park. Work gloves will be provided at most sites, though it’s never a bad idea for volunteers to bring their own. T-shirts will also be offered to participants, and will be available on a first come, first served basis.

This event is being hosted by Friends of the Parks, thanks to partnerships with the Chicago Park District, the American Indian Center, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Wilderness, Friends of the Forest Preserves, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and many more.

5K for Earth Day
GreenChoice Bank is helping Chicago to celebrate a healthy Earth by promoting healthy bodies with the 4th Annual 5k for Earth Day. This family-friendly 5k walk/run will be held on Saturday, April 27th, kicking off at 9 a.m. The route will take participants around the many landmarks of the recently cleaned and greened Humboldt Park, to celebrate both the history of Chicago, and its bright future. The race will end at the Humboldt Park boat house where a free Green Market will be waiting, offering great music, food and entertainment for all ages, an array of vendors and shopping, and environmental education booths.

All race participants will receive a technical T-shirt and recyclable tote bag. The top three male and female finishers will receive awards for their achievement. There is an entry fee of $30 per participant, $20 for ages 11-18. Kids 10 and under will be allowed to run in the free, 100-yard dash as part of the post-race Green Market, but are not eligible to participate in the 5K. Strollers, however, are allowed, but participants with strollers will begin after a 30-second delay (to ensure that no one gets run down by a Baby Jogger!)

Registration for the Earth Day 5k (http://www.earthday5kchicago.com/registration/) is now open – if interested in participating, volunteers can register online up until midnight on April 24th, or they can opt to pick up a registration packet beginning at 8 a.m. on race day (though this option is more expensive, and who wants to waste paper on Earth Day?).

North Lake Shore Earth Day – Loyola Student Community Clean-Up
The Loyola community has partnered with numerous organization and local leaders to bring two, hands-on Earth Day projects to Chicagoans, each aimed at repairing the natural beauty of either the Rogers Park and Edgewater neighborhood.

On Saturday, April 13th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. volunteers can be part of either a dune restoration at Loyola Park, an e-waste recycling project happening at the 49th Ward, or a recycling map project (to pinpoint additional bin placements) which is also happening at the 49th Ward. On Saturday, April 20th it’s Edgewater’s turn, and volunteers will be doing garden clean-up at either Vedgewater Garden or Gateway Garden, or painting fences at Cochran Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Interested participants can register online (http://form.jotform.us/form/30575059719159) for one or even both of these exciting Earth Day events.

Concierge Preferred:Trusted Chicago Guide

For more great events happening in the Chicago-area, check back with Concierge Preferred’s Guide to Things to See and Do in Chicago (http://www.conciergepreferred.com/).