In our office, we don’t just celebrate Earth Day, but Earth Month! There is so much to celebrate this April and ways we can give back to the Earth. Below you can find a list of eco-friendly events happening across the Chicagoland area that you can participate in. While most of these events are free, some do require pre-registration and may have a limited number of spots. At the top of the page, I especially want to highlight several events that my office is co-hosting, and down below, you can find information for all the events happening in and around the 12th District.
My Office Events
Ravenswood Cleanup with Cleanup Club
Come join the Cleanup Club, District 12 Commissioner Bridget Degnen, 47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin, and Wastenot Compost to meet new neighbors and help clean up our community!
Date: Saturday, April 4th
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Corner of Hermitage Ave & Montrose Ave. We will have groups going both north and south, in an attempt to cover everything from Montrose to Addison.
9 AM – 10 AM – Optional coffee social with FREE Backlot Coffee and pastries. We encourage you to bring your own thermos if you’d like to avoid single-use cups!
Clothing Swap with the DePaul Student Government
Date: Friday, 4/10/2026
Time: 11am-1:30pm
Location: The Quad at DePaul University (2325 N Seminary Ave, Chicago, IL 60614)
Our office is partnering with DePaul University to host a community clothing swap! In the spirit of reducing waste and fighting fast fashion, you’ll have the chance to get some new outfits for the spring and summer weather. Items for the swap are to be collected between April 1st and April 9th at various drop box locations across the DePaul Campus and at my office at 4347 N Milwaukee Ave.
Good, Shredder, Best with the 40th Ward
Date: Saturday, 4/12/2025
Time: 11am-2pm
Location: 5333 N Western Ave
Join us for a free community paper shredding event. Bring up to two boxes to shred, and hard recyclable materials for the mobile CHaRM truck.
Free Bike Tune-Up with Ward 1 and the Recyclery
Date: Saturday, 4/25/2026
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: 5333 N Western Ave
Join elected officials, the Recyclery, Bike Lane Uprising and the Chicago Transit Authority for a Community Bike Tune-Up.
From 10 am – 1 pm, engineers from the Recyclery will be at Pulaski Park working one-on-one to tune up bikes. Appointment sign-up is now open. Walk ins are welcome as well.
Attendees are also encouraged to bring extra bike or bike parts to donate to the Recyclery’s Freecyclery Program, which provides refurbished bikes to those with limited means.
We will also have the CTA on-site providing demonstrations on how to load their bus bike racks. And of course, we’ll have lots of fun eco-friendly giveaways and music and activities to enjoy while your bike is being worked on!
All Upcoming Events
Date: Wednesday, 4/1/2026
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: 8030 Chicago Ave, Maywood, IL 60153
Youth and families, enjoy time out of school! Try archery, build and play with natural materials, learn orienteering, paint a bird house and more.
Food Sustainability Leadership Training
Date: Every Tuesday evening from April 7th-May 26th
Time: 6pm-8pm
Location: 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
week training is a part of the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3). Through C3, the Nature Museum provides training, funding, workshops, and volunteer opportunities that remove barriers to sustainability action for individuals and communities.
To participate in the training course, you must be an adult (18+) resident of the Chicago region, attend one of these information sessions, and submit an application for the training.
Information Sessions will take place:
Online via Zoom:
- Wednesday, March 11 at 12:00pm
- Thursday, March 19 at 6:00pm
- Friday, March 27 at 12:00pm
Date: Saturday, 4/4/2026
Time: 1pm-3pm
Location: 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
Help Us Maintain Lincoln Park
Make a Positive Impact in Our Park as an EcoSteward! Ecological stewardship goes beyond gardening—EcoStewards help support healthier habitats by participating in a variety of hands‑on fieldwork activities in Lincoln Park.
Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Cleanup
Date: Sunday, 4/5/2026
Time: 10am-12pm
Location: Bryn Mawr Ave between Clark and Sheridan
Join the Bryn Mar Alliance, Edgewater Beach Neighborhood Association, and the Edgewater Triangle Neighborhood Association, in partnership with the Edgewater Environmental Coalition for a neighborhood clean up of Bryn Mawr Ave. and surround areas.
Visit a welcoming station at one of the cross streets on Bryn Mawr Ave between Clark and Sheridan to collect your clean-up equipment and a coffee sponsored by a local cafe.
Wildlife Connections with River Trail Nature Center
Date: Tuesday, 4/7/2026
Time: 10:30am-12pm
Location: 3120 Milwaukee Ave Northbrook, IL 60062
Stop by the visitor center to learn about reptiles, mammals and birds from the residents of Misericordia – Heart of Mercy. All ages.
Learn about Spring Ephemerals with Caldwell Woods Wellness Center
Date: Thursday, 4/9/2026
Time: 2pm
Location: 6350 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL 60646
Natural Weaving for Teens with Emily Oaks Nature Center
Date: Friday, 4/10/2026
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: 4650 Brummel St, Skokie, IL 60076
Draw inspiration from nature and learn to weave on a beginner-friendly, portable loom. Participants will take home their own small tapestry project and loom.
For children ages 10-15.
Fee per child: $10 (resident) / $13 (non-resident).
Date: Saturday, 4/11/2026
Time: 9am-8:30pm
Location: 303 E. Superior Chicago, IL 60611
Date: Saturday, 4/11/2026
Time: 9am-12pm
Location: 1425 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL
Join the Wicker Park Advisory Council (WPAC) for our bi-annual (required by Chicago Park District) cleaning of the dog park!
Earth Week Kick Off in Wicker Park
Date: Saturday, 4/11/2026
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: 1425 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL
The Wicker Park Advisory Council (WPAC) is partnering with the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, SSA #33, and Garbage Gals to Kick Off Earth Week for the Chicago Park District.
We will be doing Earth Day Clean Ups at Wicker Park and surrounding parks and playgrounds from 9 am to 11:30am, followed by a catered picnic and greenfest with vendors and activities celebrating the planet that cares for us and how we can care for it.
Gloves and other supplies will be provided. Come ready to have a blast working with your neighbors to get our parks and playgrounds ready for another amazing Chicago Summer.
Free Emissions Inspections with the 48th Ward
Date: Saturday, 4/11/2026
Time: 10am-4pm
Location: 6259 N Broadway Avenue Chicago, IL
Date: Saturday, 4/11/2026
Time: 12pm-3pm
Location: 1425 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL
Wicker Park Green Fest is a family-friendly celebration of sustainability happening on April 11 from 12–3 PM in Wicker Park. Join the community for an afternoon filled with sustainability-focused vendors, music, hands-on activities, delicious food, and a fun! With activities for all ages and plenty of opportunities to learn, shop, and connect, Green Fest is a joyful way to celebrate the planet and greener living together.
43rd Ward Shred Event at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Date: Sunday, 4/12/2026
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
Spring Greening Skokie Community Event at Niles North High School
Date: Sunday, 4/12/2026
Time: 10am-1:45pm
Location: 9800 Lawler Ave, Skokie, IL 60077
This extensive reuse and recycling drop-off event is located in two separate parking lots at Niles North High School. Visit www.skokiespringgreening.info for acceptable items.
Sustainability Best Practices Fair at Northwestern
Date: Wednesday, 4/15/2026
Time: 11am-1pm
Location: 1999 Campus Dr, Evanston, IL
Join us at the annual Earth Month Fair to learn more about what’s happening on campus and what you can do to reduce your environmental impact in support of a more sustainable planet. Featuring student groups, campus partners, ways to incorporate sustainability into your daily life, fun green giveaways, and a raffle!
Small succulent plants will be available, and attendees can replant them in a custom pot during the fair. Artica Studios will host pot decoration using unique repurposed materials!
Earth Day Celebration The Woodlands at White Oaks Park
Date: Saturday, 4/18/2026
Time: 11am-12:30pm
Location: 111 S. Wood Dale Rd. Wood Dale, IL 60191
Celebrate Earth Day at White Oaks Park with a FREE family friendly celebration filled with interactive activities, giveaways, and education to deepen your connection with our planet Earth.
All Ages
FREE!
Earth day Fest at Garfield Park Conservatory
Date: Sunday, 4/19/2026
Time: 11am-2pm
Location: 300 N Central Park Ave, Chicago, IL 60624
Join us as we celebrate and bring awareness to ways we can find sustainability, new and continuous knowledge to help protect our planet for present and future generations. For this Earth Day celebration we will be hosting a series of activities throughout our collection geared for all ages experience.
Folk Skills Workshop with Eco Flamingo
Date: Tuesday, 4/21/2026
Time: 7pm-8pm
Location: 4750 N Rockwell St, Chicago, IL 60625
Wicker Park Celebrates Arbor Day
Date: Friday, 4/24/2026 and Saturday, 4/25/2026
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: 1425 North Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60622
The Wicker Park Garden Club is hosting TreeKeeper workdays. The aim is to identify plants in Wicker Park and generate a list of over 25 different trees and shrubs as supporting data for the
Arbnet level 1 arboretum application.
Anyone with plant or tree ID skills is welcome to join this project (please email [email protected] if interested).
Earth Day Upcycled Painting with Hey, I Thought of You
Date: Saturday, 4/25/2026
Time: 3am-6pm
Location: 2839 West Montrose Avenue Chicago, IL
Free-to-attend community crafting time. We’re painting on upcycled canvases, wood boards shaped like animals, and using pre-made paint palettes. It’s relaxing, and good for the planet!
Date: Thursday, 4/30/2026
Time: 10am
Location: 3 Stover Road Barrington, IL 60010
Join us for a bird watch on Sulky Pond.
4th Annual Old Town & Lincoln Park Earth Day Celebration
Date: Thursday, 4/30/2026
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: 333 West Wisconsin Avenue
On Saturday, May 9, join our community-wide day of beautification in the parks between 9am-1pm. Meet at Ella Jenkins Park @ 333 West Wisconsin Avenue. Kids and dogs are welcome and supplies & refreshments will be provided. Projects include gardening, painting, planting, and beautification. No cost to participate. A tax-deductible donation is greatly appreciated. Click here to donate.