Earth Day NYC Style

4/19/07 - By Anna Fader

It was not so long ago that Earth Day was just a day some tie-dyed college students sat around all day with a banner. With Laurie Berkner headlining the NYC Earth Day celebrations in Central Park there's no question that Earth Day is now a mainstream affair with loads of great family activities.

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In addition to Laurie Berkner, there will be tons of fun Earth Day family activities in Central Park, including planting and mulching projects for families, earth-friendly demonstrations and tours, an Earth Day Bingo hunt, face painting, arts and crafts, games, and more. The grand opening of the newly landscaped Peter Jay Sharp Children's Glade, a new venue for family programs, features storytelling throughout the day. Brady Rymer and the Little Band that Could opens on the main stage and Baby Loves Disco follows. Stroller parking areas, restrooms, and baby-changing areas are available on site. All this is happening up at the northern tip of Central Park at the Great Hill (West Side from 103rd to 107th Streets); enter the Park at Central Park West and 103rd Street. If you want to check out what else you can do in the area, take a look at our earlier post describing a day out in North Central Park. But Earth Day is more than just fun and games. It's a great opportunity to teach city kids about the joys and wonder of nature, and in that vein, at the Riverside Park Bird Sanctuary there will be live raptor presentations, guided family bird walks, and ongoing bird-related activities and crafts. Reserve in advance by email or phone (212.870.3070). In Riverside Park, between 116th and 120th Streets. So, maybe Earth Day has gone a little mainstream. At least they're not selling plastic Earth Day baubles...I hope.

About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.