Earth Day Activities This Weekend

Are you looking for a way to get involved with Earth Day this weekend?  There are many activities on the island!  If you know of an event that is not on this list, let us know in the comments!

Saturday, April 20

• Middletown Public Spaces Clean Up - 10am to 1pm.
  The following locations welcome volunteers of all ages to help with trash pick up:
  
  Demery Park, Howland Park, Kempenaar Valley behind the shopping center, Linden Park, the Middletown High School driveway and Surfer's End.
  
  Site captains will be ready to sign up volunteers with bags and materials necessary to get the job done.  We ask volunteers to be dressed appropriately for outdoor work and bring your own gloves.  For more information contact Carmela Geer at 401-418-0071 or cgeer@mpsri.net. Click here for more Middletown events.
  
  
  
• Eco-Depot – Second Beach from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  
  The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) and the Town of Middletown will host a household hazardous waste and an e-waste recycling Depot collection on April 20, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Second Beach parking lot.  Eco-Depot is the safest option for the disposal of household hazardous waste in Rhode Island.  Some poisonous items cannot be discarded in the trash, such as fluorescent light bulbs, oil-based paints, insecticides, swimming pool chemicals, cleaning supplies, automotive fluids and propane gas tanks. Products that contain warnings such as, “flammable,” “combustible,” “explosive” or “corrosive” are toxic to humans, animals and the environment.
  
  This program is a free service for all Rhode Island residents, and anyone dropping off hazardous waste needs to make an appointment (call 401 942-1430 x241 or online here)

• Bulk Waste Amnesty Day -  Second Beach from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  
  Middletown’s Bulk Waste Amnesty Day open to residents participating in the PAYT program will run from 8:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. April 20, 2013 (examples of bulk waste: couches, chairs, tables, bicycles, rugs, large plastic toys). Residents MUST call or email (401-842-6519 or wcronin@middletownri.com) in advance to schedule a time to drop off large items. Please: 1) provide your address 2) give a detailed list of what you would like to bring down and 3) let me know what time would be convenient for you to drop off material. The next Bulk Waste Amnesty Day will be held on September 28, 2013.

• The Newport County Saltwater Fishing Club will be cleaning up shoreline fishing access points, depending on accessibility, in Newport  & Middletown from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring gloves & tick repellent. Volunteers must contact Dennis Zambrotta ahead of time at 849-6121.
  
  
• Save The Bay & Pruitt Chiropractic invite you to help clean up Easton’s Beach, 175 Memorial Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. To volunteer, you must contact Save The Bay in advance at volunteer@savebay.org or 272-3540 x130. Volunteers should dress for the weather and bring their own work gloves. Please bring your own water bottle, sun, and bug protection. Sturdy closed-toed shoes are required at Save The Bay Cleanups!
  
  
• Friends of Ballard Park will be holding an Earth Day cleanup at 9 a.m., followed by a free guided tour of the park at 11 a.m. Volunteers should meet at the quarry meadow off Hazard Rd. at 9 a.m. To volunteer or RSVP for a tour, contact Alexa Furtado, Event & Marketing Coordinator at 619-3377 or events@ballardpark.org. Volunteers should wear sturdy footwear, as park trails can be muddy.

Monday, April 22 (Earth Day)

• co-hosted with Aquidneck Land Trust as part of their Annual Speaker Series to enhance their "Think globally, act locally" philosophy & in partnership with The Newport Tree Society's Newport Arboretum Week.