Event Calendar
The Urban Forest in Your Classroom
Speaker presentations are rooted in the Mystery Science, Next Generation Science Standards lessons. The goal of the workshop is to provide access to local knowledge about tree and native habitat science, and to questions specific to Tacoma about green infrastructure, engineering, and climate change.
Wetland Wonders with Romey Haberle
Come walk with local botanist Romey Haberle for an exploration of spring flowers and other botanical wonders of a lovely, forested wetland. Hidden away by dense vegetation along busy Pearl and N 19th st, the SE corner of Tacoma Community college is a series of wetlands connected by gentle trails. TCC’s Natural Area and Living Lab is a community open space to enjoy and learn about nature.
AMVets Spring Tree Share and Plant Exchange
Adopt free trees in small containers, bring your own plants to share and learn practical pruning skills to use on your trees at home. Join the Tacoma Tree Foundation and AMVets community for this spring event! All are welcome and all resources are free!
Fruits of the Land
In this free webinar, agricultural historian Josiah Pollock, Puyallup Tribal Sustainability Director Kalicia Bean, and Agroecology Program Coordinator Chris Madden Chris Madden will each share their perspective on what we can learn from the history and current cultivation of the Pacific crabapple and cultivated apple trees in our region. Please join us for this conversation!
Preparing Your Home Forest for Extreme Weather with Sarah Low
Have your trees been stressed? Are you worried about changing weather patterns, increases in extreme weather events, reductions in precipitation, movement of insects and fungal diseases, and threats of fire? Do not fear, instead come to this talk where we will empower you with knowledge. We will discuss the care and stewardship of your trees in the face of changing conditions. We will also share the most recent recommendations for preparing your home landscape for extreme events to help you manage risk on your property.
YESS Spring Youth Climate Festival
The festival brings together community across Pierce County to experience stories and visions of a positive climate future and current climate actions through art, performance, film, writing, and community projects.
Food Waste: Prevention and Collection Simplified - free virtual class
Learn tips and tricks to easily collect all your food waste and fully utilize your residential curbside food/yard waste cart. We’ll help you avoid the “yuck factor” and discuss ways to help prevent wasted food in the first place!
Can This Be Recycled? Presentation
This audience-driven session is all about answering your recycling questions. We invite you to bring in items you’re unsure about and get expert advice on which waste stream they belong to. It’s a fun, hands-on way to learn how to recycle more effectively and reduce waste in our community!
Trees for the Trail
Come plant 200+ trees on the Foothills Trail. This event will include hands-on training about trees, tree care, and their importance in heat and stormwater reduction.
South Sound Sustainability Expo
Join us for the 17th Annual South Sound Sustainability Expo! This free, family-friendly event brings the South Sound community together to celebrate and promote environmental sustainability and resiliency. Explore a vibrant mix of vendors, activities, and displays showcasing regional organizations working to improve the environmental sustainability and/or resiliency of our region. The Expo is hosted by the City of Tacoma's Environmental Services Department.
Earth Day with Pierce Conservation District
Come volunteer with us for 3 hours where you will learn about our critical wetland space in Pierce County, remove invasive plants, and protect the native bio-diverse under story in a handful of select sites!
Drop-Off Recycling and Repair Resources - free virtual class
Take a deep dive into why some items go into your recycling cart in Pierce County and others need to be dropped off to get recycled.
YESS Youth Climate Summit
This interactive event is designed to equip students with the knowledge, tools, and connections to take meaningful climate actions in their schools and their broader community.
Earth Day Extravaganza
Visit the Tacoma Nature Center on Saturday, April 23 for a FREE Earth Day Celebration!
Earth Day 2025: Seattle's Innovation & Leadership in Climate Equity
Seattle Parks Foundation is proud to present Earth Day 2025: Seattle’s Innovation & Leadership in Climate Equity on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at Town Hall Seattle. Doors will open at 6:30pm, and the event will begin at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now.
Steen Family Symposium for Environmental Issues
What does it require to support and be supported by healthy watersheds? The 2025 Steen Family Symposium invites us to consider this question through the lenses of arts, sciences, and education.
Relaciones reciprocas: la tierra y nosotras
En este taller de escritura somática, practicaremos la respiración, la afirmación, la terapia somática, la escritura y el compartir durante nuestro tiempo juntes.
During this somatic writing workshop, we will practice using breath, affirmation, somatic therapy, writing, and sharing during our time together.
Upstream Together Workshop
Join Teruko Nimura, City of Tacoma Artist in Residence, for a free workshop where you can create your own upcycled Koinobori (a traditional Japanese carp streamer) from upcycled materials, contribute to a large community-painted dragon head, and learn about creative reuse and sustainability.
Thurston County Earth Day Celebration
Celebrate Earth Day with Thurston County and the City of Lacey at a fun, family-friendly event focused on recycling and waste reduction!
Remaker Fair
This FREE family friendly event celebrates all things creative reuse. Make with existing materials.
Nature Mindfulness Walk Franklin Park with Sarah Low
Away from screens, listening to the songs of birds, and watching the branches sway in the breeze, we can find peace. As we emerge from our winter cocoons, come practice mindfulness with us and learn strategies to help ground yourself in the season ahead.
14th Annual Bike Swap
The Pierce County Bike Swap will bring the bicycling community together to buy, sell bikes and bike parts, to test ride their future bike, practice bike riding skills, discuss best cycling routes, and much more.
McKinley Overlook Planting Party in Tacoma
Join us for a neighborhood planting party as we install native plants in the new garden beds at McKinley Overlook.
Habitat Stewardship on the Flett Outdoor Laboratory
Come help us remove invasive plants and spread native prairie seeds!
Parks Appreciation Day
Participants are needed in parks throughout Tacoma to spruce up local parks by trimming limbs, grooming grounds and maintaining restoration areas.
Decoding Plastic Recycling - free virtual class
Join this zoom to get your recycling questions answered!
Earth Day Beach Cleanup
Join us for a special Earth Day Beach Cleanup event and be part of a global movement to protect our oceans and shorelines. Every piece of trash removed from the beach is a step towards a cleaner, healthier ocean ecosystem.
Green Blocks: Parkland-Midland Tree Share
Attend our walk-up tree share on April 12th and take your trees home!
Earth Day Celebration at Meridian Habitat Park
11:30am - Bilingual Mindfulness Walk
1:30pm - Bilingual Tree Walk
Mar and Sol will be leading a creative mindfulness activity
VT-Radio will be sharing music and promoting local organizations
Food trucks
STEAM Night: Earth Day
Join us to test out water filtration methods and learn about pollution; practice sorting recycled materials, compost, and trash; make your own native seed sculptures that can be planted to grow native plants that contribute to a healthier local environment, and more.
Sustainability Action Plan Visioning Session
Join us in developing UW’s new tri-campus Sustainability Action Plan, which will provide an actionable roadmap toward a sustainable 2050!
Earth Month Recycling Fundraiser
ALL MONTH recyclable tin and aluminum cans can be dropped off at any of the four Boys & Girls Clubs locations in Tacoma!
Point Defiance Bird Walk
Join in a Park Guide-led bird walk through Point Defiance and see what species can be found in the forest. The walk will be held the 4th Sunday of every month.
Please bring your own binoculars, but extras are available to borrow upon request.
Participants must be able to travel on unpaved, uneven trails for up to two miles.
The program is free, but registration is required.
Meet at the entrance gate of the 5-Mile Drive in Point Defiance Park, just past the Owen Beach road turn-off.
For any questions, please contact Park Guide Alex at (253) 298-2693.
Grant Park to Reservoir Neighborhood Walk
What can a walk from a park to a reservoir teach us about the relationship between trees, cities, and people? By connecting two apparently ordinary landmarks, this walk will help us make sense of the presence and absence of trees, about tree benefits, as well as the importance of cultivating native plants. Join Sarah Low and Alejandro Fernández on this bilingual walk through Hilltop and learn how to see your streets from a new perspective!
Remember to bring comfortable shoes and weather appropriate clothing so you can focus on enjoying the walk!
Meeting Point: Grant Park on S. Grant Ave.
¿Qué nos pueden enseñar un parque y un depósito de agua sobre la relación entre los árboles, la ciudad, y la gente? Sarah Low y Alejandro Fernández nos llevarán del parque al depósito de agua, dos sitios aparentemente ordinarios, para ayudarnos a entender cómo interpretar la ausencia y la presencia de los árboles, sus beneficios, y la importancia de cultivar plantas nativas. Acompáñanos en esta caminata bilingüe a través de Hilltop y aprende cómo ver las calles de tu barrio desde una nueva perspectiva.
Recuerda portar zapatos cómodos y vestirte de acuerdo al pronóstico del tiempo.
Punto de encuentro: Grant Park sobre S. Grant Avenue
Discovering Defiance: Drop-in Hikes at Point Defiance
Weekly, every Saturday; 9 am, meet at the Rhododendron Garden
Free! No pre-registration required
Hike with a Park Guide every Saturday starting from the Rhododendron Garden at 9 am. The walk will average 3 miles at a leisurely pace and can be tailored to participant interest and time for a different route each week.
Free. No registration necessary.
Participants should come prepared with water, snacks, appropriate attire for the weather, and any questions they may have for the Park Guide.
City Nature Challenge
Get outside. Watch nature. ID and discover.
Free. All ages.
Help the Puget Sound area (including Tacoma, Seattle, Bellevue, Everett and any place within Snohomish, King and Pierce counties!) show the world how biodiverse our region is by making observations of local species during City Nature Challenge!