Earth Week Naperville 2024

April 22, 2024 marks the 54th anniversary of the first Earth Day.  

This year's theme is: Planet vs. Plastics

​ Volunteer Opportunities - Click here!

Contact Us

2024 SPECIAL EVENTS:


MARCH

F.L.O.W. Film Festival  

Local film festival featuring 8 films including the premiere of a brand new film on Freshwater Mussels

When:             Friday, March 22
Who:               All ages
Where:             Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., North Central College Campus, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville                                                     What:              View seven specially selected films plus watch the premiere of Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County
How:               Free; no registration required

APRIL

One Earth Film Festival

Watch films and discussions from the 2023 One Earth Film Festival

When:             April 17-21
Who:                All ages
Where:             Online/virtual
What:              View specially selected films and shorts highlighting Earth Day and sustainable practices
How:                 Visit https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/

Arbor Day Tree Sale

City of Naperville

How:               Pre-order online (closes Wed. April 17 @ 5 pm or when all trees sell out)
When:             Drive-thru pick-up Sat. April 20 from 8 am - 1 pm; Pickup time must be scheduled
Where:             Naperville Public Works Service Center, 180 Fort Hill Dr., Naperville (no onsite purchases)
What:               Limit 6 per resident; wide variety of native trees will be for sale; 5 to 7-gallon buckets, varying heights

Shred Event

Naperville Police Department & Naperville Park District

When:            Saturday, April 20
Time:               8 am - 11 am (will end earlier if trucks fill up)
Where:            Centennial Beach Parking Lot, 500 Jackson Ave. in Naperville
What:             Drop off up to two boxes (17" x 13" x10") of documents to be shredded and recycled; up to 10-lb per box; no previously shredded paper accepted
How:              Free

Arbor Day Plant Sale

The Morton Arboretum

When:             Thursday, April 25 - Saturday, April 27
Time:               Depends on the day
Where:           4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle
What:             Thousands of plants; expert Plant Geniuses onsite
How:               Member tickets (starting April 1) and Guest tickets (starting April 15)


MAY

33rd Annual DuPage River Sweep

The Conservation Foundation

When:             Saturday, May 4
Time:               9 am - 12 pm
Where:             County-wide (DuPage)
What:               Self-coordinated stream cleanup held each spring
How:               Click Here to Register; registration deadline April 20

Naperville Community Gardeners Plant Sale

Naperville Community Gardeners

When:            Saturday, May 11
Time:               8 am - 1 pm
Where:           Ron Ory Community Garden Plots, 811 S. West St. in Naperville
What:             Plants from members gardens, seedlings grown by members, free gardening advice

McDonald Farm Annual Plant Sale

The Conservation Foundation

When:            Saturday, May 11
Time:              9 am - 2 pm
Where:           McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Rd in Naperville
What:             Onsite - Native plants and veggies; Online - pre-order Plant Kits only, Tuesday, April 16 - Friday, April 19

2024 Master Gardener Plant Sale

Kendal County Master Gardeners

When:             Saturday, May 18
Time:               9 a.m - 2 p.m.
Where:           Kendall County Extension Office, 7775B IL Rt. 47, Yorkville
What:             Varieties of tomatoes and pepper, native plants, nursery-stock perennials, Master Gardeners on-hand to answer questions              

Lake County 2024 Plant Sale

Lake County U of I Extension Office

When:            Saturday, May 18
Time:              9 a.m - 2 p.m.
Where:           100 South US Hwy 45, Grayslake, IL 60030
What:             Plant list, Master Gardeners on-hand to answer gardening questions


Ongoing Local and Online Environmental Resources


Earth Day and Nature Related ParkTalk Podcasts


The Conservation Foundation's Environmentally Focused Videos


History of Earth Day and Arbor Day
 In the spring of 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to address the dangerous environmental issues facing Americans and the environment. On April 22, 20 million Americans protested on college campuses and in city streets across the country, demanding an end to air pollution, rivers that burned, ocean oil spills and loss of wildlife species. This first Earth Day launched the passing of numerous environmental laws to protect air, land and water and prompted the creation of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in December of 1970. The holiday grew significantly over the years to the point that in 2009, the United Nations adopted a consensus resolution designating April 22nd as International Mother Earth Day.
Arbor Day was founded in 1872 as a day set aside to plant trees by J. Sterling Morton, who later served as Secretary of Agriculture to President Grover Cleveland. Today, most states celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday in April. Morton's son, Joy Morton, is the founder of the Morton Salt Company and the Morton Arboretum, a 1,700-acre tree museum in Lisle, which is a leading center of tree science. "Plant Trees" was the Morton family motto.