Earth Week Events For City of Peterborough

The City of Peterborough will celebrate Earth Week with three key initiatives to raise awareness of protecting the environment which will start on April 22.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The three initiatives are The Great Community Litter Clean-up on April 27 and 28; the City Nature Challenge on April 26 and 27; and the kick-off to the City’s 2024 tree planting program. 

“Peterborough has a great number of individuals and organizations that are committed to the wellbeing of our environment,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “There is work happening year-round to reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Earth Week is a time to come together to take action for the betterment of our planet. We hope you can be part of Earth Week 2024.”

Great Community Litter Clean-up April 27 and 28 

On April 22, Earth Day, Mayor Jeff Leal and council members will promote the upcoming Great Community Litter Clean-up on April 27 and April 28. Each year, community organizations and neighbourhood groups organize litter cleanups, especially around Earth Day, as part of their efforts to protect the environment. Community members are welcome to attend the announcement at 1 p.m. at the Beavermead Park Pavilion, 2011 Ashburnham Dr.  

Everyone is invited to join the international movement, with local community groups, families, friends and neighbours organizing a litter clean-up in their favourite park, green space, trail or forest. 

Groups can register their Great Community Litter Clean-up location on the City’s website to receive a free litter clean-up kit and arrange a designated time and location for Public Works staff to collect the garbage. Registered groups can pick up the kits at the Public Works office at 791 Webber Ave. during business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).

To celebrate everyone participating in the Great Community Litter Clean-up, groups are encouraged to post photos to social media using the hashtag #PtboLitterAction and tag @CityPtbo. The City will share the group’s photos to showcase how our community respects and protects the environment.

In addition to being unsightly, litter can damage the environment by posing a poison risk or choking risk to wildlife and leaching toxins into our waterways. 

“We’re happy to be working in collaboration with engaged community organizations to protect our creeks, wetlands, greenspaces and public spaces from the harms of trash, litter and hazardous waste,” said Councillor Joy Lachica. “Earth Day mobilizes over a billion people annually in environmental protection efforts and I’m proud that Peterborough is part of the movement.” 

“We encourage everyone to take an hour or two with family and friends on the weekend to celebrate Earth Day and our love for the wonderful green spaces that make Peterborough shine,” said Councillor Lesley Parnell. “Communities across the country will be hosting days of action focused on cleaning up public spaces and protecting the environment.” 

Glad Canada will support the Great Community Litter Clean-up by supplying garbage bags to the City of Peterborough. 

City Nature Challenge Community Bio-Blitz April 26 and 27 

The City of Peterborough is hosting a community bio-blitz on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, to record the diversity and abundance of local wildlife in Ecology Park, 1899 Ashburnham Dr., and nearby areas, including Beavermead Park and Farmcrest Park. Both days, free, guided nature walks are planned.  

Residents are invited to participate in the four-day City Nature Challenge throughout the weekend, from April 26 to April 29.  

The City is partnering with the Peterborough Field Naturalists , who will lead the bioblitz throughout the two days. Specific group searches, such as bird, plant, mushroom and insect counts, are planned.  

This will be Peterborough's second year participating in the event, which is aligned with the City Nature Challenge, a global competition to record nature sightings in communities worldwide. The observations will be confirmed and tallied as part of Peterborough's official submission to the City Nature Challenge. Winning communities for the highest number of wildlife observations will be announced by the City Nature Challenge in May 2024. 

Details on how to participate in the City Nature Challenge are online at peterborough.ca/Nature.  

City tree planting  

The City’s 2024 Urban Forestry Plan includes planting 1,000 new trees along City streets and in parks as part of its commitment to managing the urban forest. Street trees are part of the City's green infrastructure system and provide essential benefits to the community. They improve air quality, minimize noise and dust, and reduce stormwater runoff. Trees also benefit individual property owners by increasing property values and decreasing heating and cooling costs. 

The City spring tree planting season will kick off during Earth Week, weather permitting. 

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.