Get Your Earth Day On

Earth Day may be Weds., April 22, but events are kicking off all over the country this weekend with concerts, recycling events, and plenty of volunteering opportunities.

Putting a comprehensive list of events together has proven tougher than we thought. Scouring the web hasn't revealed much more than some big concerts, or a laundry list of things going on locally without any context or information about what the events really include. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We promise to do better next year. And, we encourage you to tell us what's going on now or even next year, when Earth Day celebrates its 40th anniversary. Please leave your event listings or other info in the comments, below!

To see great concerts this weekend including the event on the National Mall, check out the Green Apple Music Festival. The Flaming Lips (pictured at left) are headlining the Capitol Hill event, but other concerts with great acts are happening all over the country this weekend in cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, and New York. Go out and rock it for Earth Day.

You don't have to attend a huge concert in a big city to celebrate Earth Day. Bumpersticker slogans like Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Think Globally, Act Locally still hold true, and you can do your part in your own home. Turn off a light or spigot, start composting, plant a tree, ride a bike... any and all of it can help.

So until Earth Day 2010, here's what we could find in regions around the country. Helpful websites include EarthDay.net and EPA.gov. Check your local newspapers or websites for event listings in your area.

West:

Arizona has a ton of good stuff going on, including the 15th Annual Tucson Earth Day event. But check out this list of events happening all over the state.

There's no shortage of events in California, either. Californians are proud of their state parks, so why not take part in the California State Parks Earth Day restoration and cleanup? In San Francisco, make an excuse to check out the gorgeously renovated California Academy of Sciences and attend its Earth Day event. On the other side of the bay, Oakland Earth Day 2009 is worth a look. Other cities including Sacramento, LA, and San Diego have it going on, too. If you're in the Reno/Tahoe area (and who wouldn't want to be), then try the Reno and Tahoe Earth Day events.

Pacific Northwest:

Earth Day is big in the emerald forests of the northwest. Oregon has a slew of events happening, particularly Full list of events in and around Portland. And if you're further north in and around Seattle, then you're in luck with plenty to do.

Midwest:

The Windy City of Chicago gets an avalanche of events all week long, with two major gigs standing out: the multi-city Green Apple Music and Arts Festival and the just plain Green Festival. The latter seems a little more thought out, with hundreds of artists, speakers, nonprofits, vendors, musicians and epicureans lining up to treat visitors to Earth-loving goodness. Check here for a full list of Chicagoland festivities. If you're lurking in other parts of the heartland, check out St. Louis' Earth Day Festival or Kansas City's host of Earth Day activities. Maybe not as epic as D.C.'s festivities, but still pretty cool options for the whole fam.

South:

Get your mind right. The SweetWater 420 Festival in Atlanta is just pointing attention to the 4/20 kickoff to Earth Day week. The whole weekend before, Georgians can eat, soak up culture and get schooled in environmental affairs. All proceeds benefit the Candler Park Association, a nature-lovers refuge from the city and a strong supporter of the neighboring communities.

The Big Easy got a jump start, hosting the first ever New Orleans Earth Day Festival on April 5. Despite critics' suspicions of greenwashing, N.O. is making an effort, drumming up dialogue and consciousness. Eco-supporters can still show up for a major enviro-effort next week, though. On April 20 and 26, two beneficiaries of the Green Schools Initiative are unveiled and kicked off. Major steps for sustainable, responsible education institutions.

Northeast:

Where's the epicenter of New York Earth Day celebrations? Why, smack in the middle of the main terminal, there will be major gatherings with info and images, cell phone recycling stations and holistic health guidance. New York, bring your butts to Vanderbilt Hall for the EarthFair 2009, on April 24 and 25.

Boston is bringing some Earthy mayhem to Harvard Square for the Great Big Green Party. And, of course, there's the mega-event on the National Mall in D.C. East coasters have no excuse not to join in the planet-loving mayhem.

Southeast:

In Orlando, it's all about Disney! The Imagineers are dishing up family-friendly Earth Day celebrations -- from the "Party for the Planet" on April 22 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park to Disney world butterfly releases and Rose Garden gatherings. Take note that Disney Stores across the country are supporting a boatload of environmental programs and organizations. Buy a T, paint a mural, snatch up a tree-planting tote. Lots of ways to get your Disney Earth on, even if you're miles from the Magic Kingdom.

Tonic's Caroline Walker also contributed to this story. Photo of The Flaming Lips by J. Michelle Martin, courtesy of FlamingLips.com.