Each Earth Day, communities gather around the country to clean-up our local neighborhoods and educate themselves on the importance of caring for our planet. If you find yourself in Louisiana on Earth Day, sign up for an environmentally-friendly club or maybe gather with your neighbors to discuss better ways of taking care of Mother Earth. Here are 10 places to celebrate Earth Day in the state.
A day filled with exhibits, hands-on activities, food, and music this annual event is held in downtown Baton Rouge. It is the state Earth Day celebration where both adults and children can get fun educational experience all about how the earth works and how to live sustainably. Music goes on at Galvez Plaza with past acts including Pine Leaf Boys, Bucktown All-Stars, Geno Delafose & French Rockin Boogie, and Todd O’Neill Band. One of the best parts is the Earth for Children section where kids can get learning experience right at their own fingertips. Exhibits like the Native American Teepee and more show children how to conserve the Earth’s resources along with educating them on the plants and animals of the region. Come experience Earth Day in Baton Rouge.
Held in the botanical gardens in New Orleans City Park, this annual event is a family-friendly atmosphere with plenty of fun. Vendors are set up providing educational materials on living green, children’s activities, cooking demonstrations, and food vendors. Twenty-five local businesses and non-profit organizations involved in living a green life all set up to make this happen. Whether solar energy, growing food, cooking food, composting or more all these businesses will have valuable information on taking care of the earth. Live acoustic music is set up in the garden along with food, wine, and beer that is available for purchase. Kids can choose from an array of recycled materials to make an art project or play the “sort the trash” game. Scavenger hunts and more games are also available at the event.
The Bayou Vermilion District hosts this Earth Day event in an effort to raise awareness and spread appreciation for this planet. Hosting various businesses and non-profits to spread their knowledge of the local environment. Fun activities and exhibits are set up putting learning into a fun environment. In past events attendees enjoyed guided boat tours on Bayou Vermilionville, canoe paddles, cheese cooking demonstrations, free yoga class, and much more. Live music, food, and beverages are all supplied at the day-long event.
Run by the students and administration of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, this week of activities and demonstrations all lead up to Earth Day. For example, Bike Day is one of the big events of this extravaganza where bike safety and maintenance workshops are held outside the Student Union. Recycling drives, canoe trips, and other environmental campaigns all lead up to the big Fete de la Terre expo at the end of the week.
This is Shreveport’s annual Earth Day event. Hosted by the Rainforest Art Foundation, this celebration strives to provide a fun, educational experience for people of all ages. Live music will accompany the event, as well as masterful works of art. Shreveport’s Earth Day event is free to people of all ages though a $10 donation is suggested to benefit the museum and foundation.
This pristine refuge in North Louisiana is a great place to be for Earth Day simply to take in the beauty along with enjoying the educational aspect that comes with the day. The 4,500-acre refuge includes wetlands as well as 1,700-acre lake. The Conservation Learning Center provides educational and conservation information through a variety of avenues. There is a nice classroom along with live wildlife exhibits, aquariums, reptiles including snakes, baby alligators, and more. The Visitors Center’s structure is originally from the 1880s and has been restored by the Friends of Black Bayou to make for an interesting slice of history. Having had past Earth Day celebrations, the Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge knows how to celebrate. Visit this refuge for a great, educational and wild experience in north Louisiana.
Being the largest combined Earth Day celebration in the nation the Baton Rouge Zoo is proud to join other Zoos across the country for this annual event. More than 120 zoos and aquariums participate in the party that celebrates Earth Day by honoring the creatures that inhabit this planet. An array of family-friendly activities held at the Baton Rouge Zoo includes Safari amphitheater programs, animal encounters, and educational fun! Display boards are set up all around with valuable information on what plants to use in the yard that are best for the environment, which animals are endangered and why, what is recycled at the zoo, and which organizations the zoo supports. Stop by the Baton Rouge Zoo for a fun, relaxing educational experience.
This annual festival is held the weekend of Earth Day celebrating the beautiful forests of the state. Being set in Winn Parish, the top forestry parish in the state, the festival is a salute to the timber industry. Lumberjacks from across the nation flock to this festival to participate in numerous timber competitions including 13 different competitions and six chainsaw events. Though the festival also has some Earth education with visitors from the likes of Smokey the Bear and many children’s activities to educate them on the local forests. Food, fun and music accompany the competitions and educational activities.
This world-class aquarium has so much to do it really takes a whole day to do it all. Sitting along the Mississippi River just outside the French Quarter in New Orleans, the aquarium has displays of the Caribbean reef, Gulf of Mexico, Amazon Rainforest, sharks, jellyfish and more. Easy and delicious dining is available at the Aqua Grill and the Giant Screen Theatre has daily showings of amazing educational films like “Hurricane On The Bayou” on the huge 4k digital projection system. Being a part of the Audubon Nature Institute, the Aquarium of the Americas has a full day of fun, mind-opening experiences right in the heart of New Orleans.
Nestled along Bayou Castine, this nature center has daily activities and programs for kids educating them on planet earth. Offering three different ecosystems to visitors including hardwood forest, pinewood forest, and pond/swampland this nature center is a great way to learn about and appreciate local nature. A beaver lodge can even be seen on the ponds! Monthly activities include nature walks, yoga classes, bike trails, and so much more. Their annual BirdFest is in early April to get you in the mood for the big celebration later in the month. In any case, spending a day at the Northlake Nature Center is a wonderful way to appreciate and experience mother Earth.
