Earth Day, Every Day

The Town of Chapel Hill invites you to celebrate Earth Day all month long! We created a guide to activities, resources, and explorations to inspire action for our environment this month.

Learn about local environmental initiatives and how to make better decisions for a stronger climate future and a more sustainable planet. 

 

Activities

Featured Event Family Concert with Mister G

APR 15 | Chapel Hill Public Library Terrace

Enjoy live family music outdoors at Chapel Hill Public Library with Latin GRAMMY Award-winning artist, children's book author, environmental activist, and educator Mister G.

Learn More

Volunteer Work Day

Saturday, April 23 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Pritchard Park | Help us eliminate invasive weeds to promote greater diversity of native plants and animals, beautify the park, and create a healthier ecosystem for visitors to enjoy.

Volunteer Work Day

Learn More

Get Outside

Refreshing Connections

By Holly Felice
Installed 2021

Located at Booker Creek Basin Park

Large iridescent stainless steel sculptures towering about 12 feet above the trail. Each piece resembles a different inspect species that can be found in the space – butterfly, dragonfly, and ladybug.

Read More

 

Elemental Landscapes

By Laura Haddad & Tom Drugan
Installed 2009

Located at Southern Community Park.

A series of landscape art installations created from natural materials found at the space. Made from salvaged boulders and trees, the installations reveal and surround different elements of earth, air, water, and flora. Installations include:
  • Water The boulder-ringed wetlands bowl
  • Air A circle of large rocks creating a community gathering place
  • Cairns Sets of stacked stones marking the park entrances
  • Stone markers Etched with references of historic and contemporary places of Chapel Hill

Green Way StoryWalks

Chapel Hill’s Green Way StoryWalks® feature diverse, culturally-relevant, environmentally-themed books to inspire learning about the earth and the environment, and to create connections between literacy, nature, exercise, and family time.

Learn More

Storm Drain Murals

This April three area artists will be painting colorful murals around select storm drains in Chapel Hill to highlight the importance of clean stormwater management:

  • Nyssa Collins at the Southern Village Park & Ride lot
  • Elisabeth Flock at Chapel Hill Public Library
  • Mayanthi Jayawardena at Northside Elementary
Read More

Resources

Learn About Our Climate Action Plan

The Town’s Climate Action and Response Plan has 97 actions that are designed to lower the emissions that cause climate change, help us adapt to our changing climate, protect our local environment, and strengthen our community’s resilience.

See The Plan

Compost Crazy

One meaningful action each of us can take is to commit to producing less waste. By reducing what we need, reusing as much as we can, recycling what’s possible, and composting the rest, we help reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Orange County Solid Waste Management offers compost bins for sale and you can download this handy Do’s and Don’ts guide to get you started.

And for those participating in composting programs in Orange and Wake County, take time to learn what happens to your compost. Take a virtual tour of the Brooks Composting Facility in Goldston, NC!
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 12:00 PM
Register For The Virtual Tour

Medication Take Back

Drop your unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications in the drop box at Chapel Hill Police Headquarters so they don’t end up in our waterways or in the hands of someone they are not meant for. The drop box is in the Police Headquarters lobby at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., which is open between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Chapel Hill Police will also collect medications at the Wegmans at 1810 Fordham Boulevard on Saturday, April 30, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.