This year marks the 31st annual Earth Day Festival celebrated at the Springfield Museums! Due to pandemic restrictions on outdoor gathering capacities, we invite you to join us virtually to learn about Awesome Earth System Science, the environment, and fun recreational activities that demonstrate ways to enjoy the outdoors while appreciating and learning about the beautiful natural world that surrounds us. Visitors can learn how to promote conservation through everyday actions and become better environmental stewards.
Sponsored by
Jump to: Earth Day Contest, Nature and the Land, Climate Emergency, From Our Partners, From Our Blog, At-Home Activities, Birding Trail
Your support helps fund dynamic family programming that makes learning fun for all ages.
Please join us by making a gift today.
We asked local residents to share an original essay, poem, work of art, video, or song about what this Awesome Earth means to them.
Two entrants were randomly selected to win a $100 gift certificate to the Museums or a Chosen Critter adoption.
Thanks to all those who entered!
Curator of Art Maggie North discusses the role of land and landscape in American art history and how art’s critical visual messages inspire land protection. Video courtesy of the Nature Conservancy.
Uli Nagel, Cooler Communities
Collectively learning and taking action for our Earth
Collectively celebrating our beautiful Home!
Educating youth about the needs of our planet,and giving them tools to help with solutions
Paying attention to the changes we are facing as a planet, feeling the call to get involved. Started small and got more and more involved!
There’s SO much. Do all you can to save energy (get a free audit of your home, buy an electric car, use renewable energy whenever possible, recycle, walk and bike – so much more). Learn everything at Earth Day!!!
Jennifer Lapis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Working with others for a common cause of keeping our world healthy.
As a kid I grew up playing outside, amazed by the natural world around me. As I entered college I realized that I wanted to share my passion and love for the natural world with others, and discovered the field of environmental education and interpretation. I have been working in this field ever since graduating from college.
Planting native plants in your home gardens or flowerbeds is a great way to help keep our environment healthy. It supports native wildlife by providing food, shelter and nesting locations.
Katie Shea, Springfield Water and Sewer Commission
The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission is inspired by the natural water cycle in the Little River Watershed. The rivers, streams, brooks, and springs feed this natural water cycle. Eventually water from these sources drains to Borden Brook and Cobble Mountain Reservoirs, the Commission’s primary drinking water supply reservoirs, before flowing to the water treatment plant for filtration and treatment. After treatment, the water makes it way through distribution pipes to our homes, schools, and business, so every time we turn on the tap clean, safe drinking water flows out. Through the natural water cycle, the rivers, streams, brooks, and springs continue to replenish, ensuring there is always enough water to use and drink – an amazing natural system that enables everyday life in the Lower Pioneer Valley.
As Educational Outreach and Communication Specialist for the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, my background is in education, but I have always had a love for the environment! There are so many different jobs in the water sector that allow individuals to use their knowledge and experience in a variety of fields to work towards the common mission of protecting public health and ensuring a healthy and vibrant environment with clean water.
At the Commission, our 250 employees work in a wide range of positions like water operators, laborers, information technology specialists, engineers, chemists, customer service representatives, and more. The Commission’s land stewards and Water Resources staff are most involved in working in the environment and maintain approximately 16,000 acres of protected watershed land owned by the Commission.
Our employees have many different educational and career backgrounds. Some positions, like water operator do not require a college degree, though specialized training and licensing is needed. Other positions like land steward, require a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, ecology, or related field.
Although the job responsibilities and educational requirements vary, all employees play a role in caring for our environment through the critical work they perform.
- Use water wisely in your home – more information is available on our website https://waterandsewer.org/residential/household-water-tips/
- Drink tap water rather than bottled water
- Fill up a reusable water bottle to bring water on the go
- Think about all the different ways you use water throughout your day – are there any ways you can reduce your non-efficient water use? Like turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth.
- Love your sewers Springfield! Keep fats, oils, grease, wipes, paper towels, and other materials out of our wastewater system and dispose of them in the trash. These materials make it more difficult to clean and treat the region’s wastewater before returning clean water to the environment via the Connecticut River. More information available on our webpage https://waterandsewer.org/education/fats-oils-and-grease-fog/.
- Consider using a rain barrel or installing a rain garden for summer planting and lawn watering. They can help supplement your water needs, keep your yard looking beautiful, and they also help capture rainwater that might have otherwise flowed into storm drains, using up capacity in our collection system.
Kathleen Bamford, Hampden Hampshire Conservation District
The possibility of finding new ways to work with the environment so that the needs of the land and the people can all be fufilled inspires me.
Time spent exploring and understanding the natural world helped me create a relationship that required advocacy and care for the world around me.
Buy less. Make do. Grow Food. Understand nature.
Dave Bloniarz, ReGreen Springfield
Earth Day inspires our work at ReGreen Springfield as we help to make Springfield more sustainable and resilient in the face of global climate change. This special day provides an opportunity for people around the world to show their commitment to making the earth healthier for its citizens and its environmental systems.
I got my start when in high-school working as a landscaper, where i learned to appreciate the importance of protecting and preserving the natural world around us.
Take a shorter shower; recycle everything you can; plant a tree to cool your home; use biological methods or natural pesticides to care for insect and plant pests outdoors and in your home; turn off lights when not being used; ride your bike or walk when traveling short distances; ride the bus when you can.
Coming Home to Earth
The Migration of the Wildebeest
Where Did Our Honey Bees Go To?
The Common Zebra
Mighty Mini Microbe’s Tale – Color, Read, Create, and Learn
Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper Level 1 (Grades K-1)
Make a Window Greenhouse
Conte Jr. Refuge Ranger Workbook
More: Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper Level 2 (Grades 2-3), Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper Level 3 (Grades 4-5), Wildlife Drawing Sheet, Endangered Species Word Search, Fresh Water Mussel Maze, Fresh Water Mussel Word Search, Wildlife Sightings List
Provided by US Department of Agriculture, National Association of Conservation Districts, Hampden Hampshire Conservation District, MENSA, and Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.