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WNY Earth Day

Welcome to the 2024 WNY Earth Day Challenge. The challenge is now closed. Winners will be announced in early May.

Easy to Participate

WNY Earth Day Challenge April 2024

   1. Sign-Up for the Earth Day Challenge

Once you Sign-up you will be placed on our mailing list. You will receive an email from recycle@erie.gov with the link to take you back to your entry form. Use that link to add activities as they are completed.  Please save that email and the link.

   2. Participate in Challenge Activities throughout April

See the list of activities below. We have a lot of different things you can do – most of them are free and flexible as far as timing. Some you can accomplish at home, some online and others you may need to go to a special location. Please check back as more activities may be added during the month.

   3. Submit your Challenge Activities

Each time you complete a Challenge Activity submit it on a submission form that was emailed to you. You will receive 1 point for each Challenge completed. The more Challenges you complete, the better your chances to win a prize.

   4. Share your Challenge Activities with Others

The activities are designed to help raise awareness of local organizations working to protect our region's ecosystem. We are in this together, so please share this Challenge with your friends and family. By participating in these Challenge activities, you can help to protect our special corner of this amazing planet.

The submission form will allow you to upload a photo, but we encourage you to also post your photos on social media sites using #wnyearthdaychallenge.

Click on this button to Sign-up and join in on the 2024 Earth Day Challenge:

Register today for the 2024 WNY Earth Day Challenge

 

ex. Family, Teen, All
ex. Attend, Learn, Visit, Share
Title Description Cost Audience Location Action/Task Sponsor
Attend the Johnnie B. Wiley Earth Day Celebration

You are invited to attend the Johnnie B. Wiley Earth Day Celebration event featuring recycling, new tech displays, green job info, giveaways, food, and as award ceremony, all aimed at inspiring ways we can better protect our health and our planet. The event will be held from 5:00-7:30 PM on April 22 at 1100 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, NY.

Free Family Friendly 1100 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, NY

Tell us about your experience at the event.

Omega Mentoring Program
Sign the Healthy Lawns Pledge

Learn how to take care of your lawn and sign the Healthy Lawns Pledge

Free All At Home

Your "Pledge" will be be your submission for entry to prizes.

Erie County Environmental Management Council
Watch the Healthy Lawns Video

Before having your lawn sprayed for pesticides please watch this video.

Erie County Healthy Lawns

 

Free All At Home

What did you think about the video?

Erie County DEP Recycling
Visit a small business

Visit a small local business

Free All Erie County

Visit a small local business and ask what they are doing to “go green” and then take a selfie at the establishment.

Erie County DEP Economic Development
Get involved with Erie County Community Climate Action Planning

Erie County Community Climate Action Planning invites you to choose any/all of three Challenges:

  1. Watch the Climate Ambassador Program video
  2. Sign up to be an ambassador
  3. Schedule a meeting with DEP staff to talk about Erie County Climate Action
Free All Online
  1. Watch the ambassador video - 1 point
  2. Sign up to be an ambassador - 2 points
  3. Bring us in to your organization, school, church, community group, etc. to learn about the actions the County is taking to address climate pollution - 5 points
Erie County Community Climate Action Planning
View the Total Solar Eclipse

Safely enjoy the Total Solar Eclipse from wherever you are on April 8 with Eclipse Glasses courtesy of Erie County. Glasses are available at Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries while supplies last.

Free Family Friendly Various Locations

Submit a photo.

Buffalo Museum of Science
Take care of your Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) in the month of April

Go to erie.gov/recycling and find out how to properly dispose of any household hazardous waste.

Take your hazardous waste to Hazman or register to attend our next special drop-off event on April 13th.

Free Anyone Two options

Did you make an appointment?

Are your poisonous materials properly and safely stored?

Erie County Recycling
Submit a photo of you participating in a Challenge Activity

Take a photo of you participating in one of the Earth Day Challenge Activities and submit the photo on the submissions form.

Free Online

Give it a caption in the description field, By uploading the photo and caption, you are giving us permission to post them on social media.

Erie County DEP
Visit the Earth Day Market on April 27

Attend the Tifft Nature Preserve Earth Day Market on April 27

Free Family Friendly Tifft Nature Preserve

Upload a picture of you with one of the vendors or an item you purchased at the market

Tifft Nature Preserve
Volunteer at the Tifft Stewardship Volunteer Day on April 21

Volunteer to steward Tifft Nature Preserve's habitats by attending the Tifft Stewardship Volunteer Day on April 21. Registration required.

Free Family Friendly Tifft Nature Preserve

Tell us you registered and/or submit a copy/photo of an email confirmation.

Tifft Nature Preserve
Cut out a single-use product

Cut out one single-use product in your life for a month. Some examples include:

1. not buying/drinking from bottled water, switch to refill water bottles instead

2. not using plastic wrap to preserve food, switch to reusable food containers/beeswax wrap instead

3. not using plastic dental floss, switch to biodegradable and refillable ones instead.

4. not using paper towels, switch to reusable kitchen towels or swedish dishcloth instead.

Free Family Friendly At Home

Tell us what product you cut out of your life.

Little Salmon
Make your own reusable, washable bag out of an old t-shirt

Make your own reusable, washable bag out of an old t-shirt. No sewing required! Instructions.

Free Family Friendly At home

Take a selfie with you with your T-shirt bag and upload it on the submission form.

Erie County DEP Single-Use-Plastics
Follow Freshie the Frog to Learn About Salt Impacts on the Environment

Check out www.tinyurl.com/roadsaltstory  to learn more about how road salt and deicers can impact water quality.

Free Anyone At Home

Follow @FreshieTheFrog on Facebook and/or Instagram to learn more about keeping fresh water fresh. Let us know on what platform you followed FreshietheFrog.

Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance
Watch the recording of the Septic System Workshop

Watch the video of the virtual Septic Smart for Lake Erie workshop to learn more about how your septic system works and how to maintain it to protect water quality and save you money. https://www4.erie.gov/septicsmart/workshops

Free Anyone At Home

What did you learn from the video?

Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance
Beach Algae Monitoring

Do you often walk along or visit our local beaches? Cladophora is a type of stringy (filamentous) algae that grows on rocks, wood, logs, and other hard underwater surfaces in freshwater ecosystems, including Lake Erie. If you spot this type of stringy algae along New York's Great Lakes beaches and shorelines, or don’t, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to know throughout the year. Learn more and access the reporting form here: https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/lakes-rivers/great-lakes/cladophora

Free Anyone Lake Erie or Lake Ontario beaches

Fill in the survey form at https://dec.ny.gov/nature/waterbodies/lakes-rivers/great-lakes/cladophora and then let us know when you report your citizen science observations to DEC.

Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance
Participate in a Rain Barrel Painting Contest

You are eligible if you participated in Erie County's 2024 rain barrel painting contest

Cost Required Family Friendly At home

Tell us about your rain barrel or submit a picture.

Western NY Stormwater Coalition
Visit the KVIS Pollinator Mural

Visit the pollinator mural at 7 Warren Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217, find the hidden pollinators, take your photo with it, and upload your photos with your submission page or share on social media with the hashtag #savethebeeswny

Free Family Friendly 7 Warren Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217

Submitting a photo makes you eligible. Sharing on social media gives you an additional point.

Kenmore Village Improvement Society
Switch to a low flow showerhead

Switch over to an energy efficient low flow showerhead. Take a picture either during the process or after of your new showerhead! Then submit that photo on the submissions form. To learn more, watch PUSH Green's video about it! Link to the challenge video is here: https://fb.watch/qVs8zGikKW/

Cost Required Anyone At Home

Submitting a photo of you switching your showerhead to a low flow showerhead.

PUSH Buffalo
Make a donation at the Tonawanda Savers

Make a donation of clothing or household items at the community donation center located at the store on behalf of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Free Anyone 2309 Eggert Road Tonawanda, NY 14150

Submit a photo or tell us what you donated.

Tonawanda Savers
Join in on the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper annual Spring Sweep

Join us for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's annual Spring Sweep and collect data on the litter removed from our watershed alongside volunteers in WNY and throughout the entire Great Lakes region! Learn more on the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper website.

Free Family Friendly Various Locations

Submit a screen shot of your litter pick up data after using the Spring Sweep application, or take a selfie at your site! Learn more on the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper website.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
Participate in the I BIRD NY Challenge

The2024 I BIRD NY Challenge is open to all ages and ends on Nov. 1, 2024. To complete the Challenge, participants must identify 10 bird species of their choosing and submit a challenge sheet to NYSDEC. Challenge sheets may be submitted online via Survey Monkey or sent via email or mail. All participants will be awarded a commemorative patch, given a completion certificate, and entered into a drawing for great birding prizes from NYS.

Free Anyone Various Locations

Submit your form to NYSDEC and then let us know which was your favorite bird species you observed.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)
Attend the Bioblitz for Earth Day on April 21st

Immerse yourself in nature this Earth Day with a scenic hike at Chestnut Ridge Park, where you can use your smartphone to contribute to conservation efforts. Explore lush woodlands and rolling hills while aiding in the preservation of local flora and fauna. The group will be meeting at the Chestnut Ridge Park Casino at 10AM on Sunday, April 21st. Register for the event here.

Free Anyone Chestnut Ridge Park Casino

Tell us about your experience at the Bioblitz!

Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry
Get moving at Reinstein Woods!

Visit Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.

Free Family Friendly 93 Honorine Drive, Depew NY 14043

Visit Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve for a healthy hike, take a photo and then tag Reinstein Woods in the picture on social media. The photo could be: 

  • you or your party removing litter along the trails! 
  • you and a friend who has never been to Reinstein Woods! 
  • you dropping off household batteries for recycling (size AAA to D) at the Education Center (open M-F 9-4:30 and Sat. 1-4:30) 
NYSDEC and Friends of Reinstein Woods
Collect Microplastics

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that are often missed during clean-ups because of their size. Join Broken Plastics in removing microplastics from the environment. You can learn more about the impact of microplastics by visiting brokenplastics.org

Free Anyone Erie County

Submit a photo of your microplastic collection or donate them to CEPA Gallery to be used to make art.

Broken Plastics
Borrow a book about Earth Day or the environment from any of the 37 Buffalo & Erie County Libraries

Learn about nature and the environment by checking out a book, eBook, or audiobook from the Library.

Free Anyone Various Locations

Tell us the title of the book you borrowed and share something you learned from reading it. Get a bonus point if you make it your book club pick!

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Explore the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library's "Parks and Hiking" subject guide before heading to one of our local parks

Check out the Library's helpful guide to the area's parks and trails

Free Anyone Various Locations

Submit a photo of you exploring one of Erie County's beautiful parks

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Recycle Your Paint

Register to drop off your old paint at our free May 4th collection event in Williamsville. Click here to register: https://circular.eco/event/ECCNORTH54?s=qr 

Free Anyone Williamsville

Tell us if you registered.

GreenSheen
Volunteer at an Earth Month TLChores Event

Pelion Outdoor Classroom is hosting Earth Month Chores every SATURDAY in April 10am-noon to get the garden cleaned up and safe again for classes/clubs to resume. Please join us any Saturday in April to Tend, Love, and do Chores in our patch of Earth. Tasks will vary as the soil thaws; but may include: clearing apiary zone, digging out invasive trees and vines, starting seeds, organizing shed and storage, potting up tree saplings, possibly clearing out material in preparation of bulk trash date and others TBD. No skills necessary. More info here.

Free Family Friendly Pelion Garden

Tell us about your volunteer experience.

Pelion Outdoor Classroom
Eat a meatless meal

Prepare a meal with no meat.

Free Anyone At home

Take a picture of your meal and if you want, post your recipe.

Buffalo Chapter NAACP
Take a Virtual Tour

On a rainy day take a virtual field trip. Stop by the Channel Islands in California, Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park and the Statue of Liberty in New York City.

Free Anyone At home

Tell us what park you visited and what you learned. 

Buffalo Chapter NAACP