Earth DayTON is a celebration of all the forward-thinking individuals and organizations in the Miami Valley doing good work to help further Sustainability, Conservation, and Environmental Justice efforts. The City of Dayton Office of Sustainability and Five Rivers MetroParks began leading this initiative in 2023 to illustrate how to get involved in events, programs, and volunteerism during, and around, Earth Month.

The region is fortunate to have myriad opportunities for people to help make a difference in our communities and for the world we live in year-round, but Earth Month provides a special time to elevate these efforts and share successes, as well as ongoing challenges, with those beginning or establishing the next steps of their journey.

Earth DayTON events help promote the specific things happening in the Miami Valley for the Earth Month season and emphasize the notion that we are “stronger together”.

Earth DayTON Kick-off

The City of Dayton Office of Sustainability and Five Rivers MetroParks will host a mini-expo to showcase regional sustainability, conservation, and environmental justice partners at 2nd Street Market on Saturday, April 4 during market hours, 9 am to 3 pm. Drive Electric Dayton will host an Electric Vehicle Ride and Drive outside the pavilion area, Waste Free Dayton will be hosting a litter cleanup outside the market, and 8 community partners will exhibit inside. Visitors will have a chance to meet and learn more about the great work regional organizations are doing!

• Drive Electric Dayton (Hosting an EV Ride and Drive)
• Turtle Up
• The Foodbank
• Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC)
• Solar United Neighbors (SUN)
• Montgomery County Environmental Services
• Waste Free Dayton (Hosting a morning litter cleanup)
• CISV Midwest Ohio
• City of Dayton Office of Sustainability

Earth DayTON Calendar of Events

April 3: The Bulldogs Film Premier

• Where: Little Art Theater, Yellow Springs
• When: 5:45 p.m.
• Cost: $20.52 for all ages

Part of the 2026 Mini-Fest from Yellow Springs Film Festival, this documentary explores the aftermath of the Norfolk=Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH and the impact this environmental disaster poses to the community as media presence exits and cleanup efforts ensue.

April 4: Earth DayTON Kick-off

• Where: 2nd Street Market
• When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Join local Sustainability partners to kick of Earth Month with an EV ride and drive, litter cleanup, and mini expo featuring: Drive Electric Dayton, Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council, The Foodbank, Solar United Neighbors, CSIV, Montgomery County Solid Waste District, Turtle Up, and City of Dayton Office of Sustainability. Learn more at Five Rivers MetroParks - 2nd Street Market.

April 4: Waste Free Dayton’s Earth Month Litter Cleanup

• Where: 2nd Street Market
• When: 8:30 a.m.
• Cost: Free for All Ages

Waste-Free Dayton and Midwest Ohio CISV are partnering on a litter cleanup taking place in the area of 2nd Street Market on Saturday, April 4th, starting at 8:30 am. For more information, visit Waste Free Dayton.

April 7: EcoTalk: Finding a hoppy medium: Blanchards Cricket Frogs and their thermal tolerance

• Where: Cox Arboretum MetroPark
• When: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

A brief overview of Blanchards cricket frog and the research conducted on them in the MetroParks. By testing the maximum and minimum temperature that Blanchards cricket frogs can withstand, we're uncovering how much temperature stress these amphibians can tolerate and what that means for their future as our local climate shifts. Learn more and register at Five Rivers MetroParks - Research.

April 9: Wildlife Rehab Donation and Stuffie Offer

• Where: Brukner Nature Center
• When: Ongoing through April 30
• Cost: Donation-based, all ages

Our Wildlife Rehab Unit will open on April 9 for our busy spring season!  We would like to ask for your help!  For the month of April, for every $25 gift card purchased from Lowes, Tractor Supply, Rural King, or Petco, you can select a stuffie to take home (choose a Virginia opossum, little brown bat, white-tailed deer, red fox, striped skunk or coyote)!  Simply drop-off any $25 gift card to our front desk and we’ll send a wildlife stuffie home with you. Offer good through April 30. Learn more at Brukner Nature Center.

April 11: Doorley Fen Work Session

• Where: B-W Greenway Community Land Trust - Doorley Fen
• When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Join our Honeysuckle Hackers at Doorley Fen. One of B-W Greenway’s private property easements. Please wear appropriate attire for the day, including footwear that will get wet, and bring a water bottle. Contact Heidi, admin@bwgreenway.org, if interested in volunteering for this event. Open to the public.

April 11: Environmental Justice 101

• Where: Dayton Metro Library - Main | 215 E. Third Street, Dayton, OH 45402
• When: 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Rooted in community, growing toward justice. Join us in Dayton for a day of connection, healing, and action for our environment and our people. Visit the Environmental Justice 101 Registration Form for more information and to register.

April 11: Spring Plant Sale at Greater Edgemont

• Where: 919 Miami Chapel Rd., Dayton, OH 45417
• When: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages, cost for plants

Get your garden growing this season at our Spring Plant Sale on April 11 from 12–4 PM at 919 Miami Chapel Rd in Dayton. The sale will feature starter vegetable plants, herbs, and houseplants to help you begin or expand your home gardens.

Shopping locally helps keep dollars circulating in our community while supporting neighborhood programs focused on growing clean food, training and mentoring youth, and building community in West Dayton. See you soon! Visit Greater Edgemont to learn more.

April 14: Bicycle Maintenance 1

• Where: Possum Creek MetroPark
• When: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Cost: $12/person for those ages 14 and older

This hands-on classroom session will help you diagnose and perform common bike repairs. Topics will include inspections, fixing a flat tire, and chains. Once you have gotten your hands a little dirty in this class you will have a great foundation to move on the Bicycle Maintenance 2. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a registered adult.

Learn more and register at Five Rivers MetroParks.

April 15: Montgomery County Solid Waste District Recycled Art Contest

• Cost: Free, K-12 youth

K-12 students submit artwork made from recycled materials.  Register by April 15th, submit work on April 29th.  Gallery and award ceremony at Boonshoft on May 2nd. Visit the Montgomery County Recycled Art Contest 2026 Registration Form for more information and to register.

April 15: Backyard Habitat Lunch and Learn

• Where: Lohrey Recreation Center
• Cost: Free for all ages

Join City of Dayton Sustainability Staff for a discussion about fostering habitat in your own back yard and plant selections that will help reduce maintenance and costs while making your home a beautiful sanctuary for life. Call the Lohrey Recreation Center front desk at 937-333-3131 to register or drop in.

April 16: B-W Greenway Chatauqua on Recycling and Food Waste

• Where: Bath Township Building, 1006 Fairfield-Yellow Springs Rd, Fairborn. 
• Cost: Free for all ages

23rd Community Chautauqua “Recycling, Including Food & Food Waste”.

B-W Greenway Events

April 18: 5K Run Wild for Wildlife

• Where: Brukner Nature Center
• Cost: All ages, variable cost

If you enjoy running or hiking on woodland trails, you’ll love Brukner Nature Center’s 5K Run Wild for Wildlife on Saturday, April 18 at 9:30am.  Held rain or shine. PRE-REGISTRATION EVENT ONLY! Registration forms are online at Brukner Nature Center - 5K Run for Wildlife; Encourage your family & friends to join you and make it a day to remember!

April 18: Styrofoam Recycling Collection

• Where: Rose Music Center
• When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Staff and volunteers will be collecting styrofoam for recycling from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Saturday April 18th. They will be set up in the parking lot of the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights (6800 Executive Blvd, Huber Heights, OH 45424). For more information, please visit Montgomery County - Recycling & Special Collections Services.

April 18: Earth Day in Huffman

• Where: Pink Moon Goods and Skeleton Dust Records
• When: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

We are hosting an Earth Day event at Pink Moon Goods and Skeleton Dust Records. We are hosting Foxhole Farm and Humble Hive Consulting & Homemade and offering a fun earth friendly craft practice as well as some great local businesses and artists including Ashley Jonas with her functional art!

April 18: City of Kettering Tree Fest

• Where: Gentile Park, 915 Peach Orchard, Kettering, Ohio , 45419
• When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Join us for our annual Arbor Day Celebration, TreeFEST, where we honor the spirit of the Lorax and his call to “Speak for the Trees.” Take part in giving back to our planet and making a meaningful impact on the environment! Open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

• Plant trees and clean up the park
• Meet City and County Officials and Tree Committee Members
• Help dedicate the City’s Arbor Day Tree
• Bring gloves, shovels, and a watering container if you have them

April 18 - 19: Carolyn Kimes Tree Seedling Giveaway

• Where: 2nd Street Market
• When:
  • Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Our annual Carolyn Kimes Tree Seedling Giveaway returns to the Market! Help the environment and celebrate Earth Day by selecting free tree seedlings for you to take home and plant. Deciduous and coniferous trees will be available. While supplies last. Learn more at Five Rivers MetroParks.

April 21: Bicycle Maintenance 2: Brakes

• Where: Possum Creek MetroPark
• When: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Cost: $15/person for those ages 14 and older

This next step in the bicycle maintenance progression will give riders a more comprehensive understanding of what slows your bike down. This hands-on class will offer guided practice in brake maintenance. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a registered adult.

Learn more and register at Five Rivers MetroParks - Programs & Events.

April 22: Gem City Reuse - Fiber Swap

• Where: MADE Studio and Shop
• When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Join Gem City Reuse at MADE Studio and Shop for an evening of swapping and secondhand fiber supplies. Browse donated yarn, fabric, sewing notions, knitting needles, and crochet hooks for $5 per bag. If you have extra supplies sitting in a drawer or a project that never quite happened, this is a great chance to pass them along and discover something new.

Please donate your items for the swap ahead of time at MADE or Reduce & Reuse Refillery. Drop in anytime from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.!

April 22: Waste Free Dayton’s Earth Day Plogging Event

• Where: Riverscape MetroPark
• Cost: Free for all ages

Waste-Free Dayton and our caring community of runners and walkers will be plogging along the rivers in Downtown Dayton on Earth Day. Plogging originated in Sweden and combines the act of jogging or exercising with picking up trash. We will meet at Riverscape at 6 pm on April 22nd. Learn more at Waste-Free Dayton.

April 22 - 24: Environmental Learning Center Tours

• Where: Montgomery County Solid Waste District Environmental Learning Center    
• When: Various times
• Cost: Free for all ages

Register to tour our environmental learning center with your classroom. Special Earth Day tours on April 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. Learn more at Montgomery County - Environmental Learning Center.

April 23 - 24: Electronics Waste (eWaste) Collection

• Where: altfiber
• When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

altafiber will recycle your Electronic Waste (e-Waste) for FREE on April 23 & 24 at their Dayton retail store during business hours, 10am-6pm at 230 Webster St., as part of the company’s Earth Month celebration.  All e-waste collected goes to our Responsible Recycling (R2) certified partner. Recycling re-makes e-waste into components and metals for the new tech we love. We’ll take anything with a power cord except: televisions, batteries, appliances, any hazardous waste & up to a 40 lb. limit. Visit altafiber to learn more.

April 24 - 25: Native Plant Sale

• Where: Aullwood Audubon
• When:
  • Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages, cost for plants

Discover native plants! Our sale offers more than 181 native species, including spring ephemerals! Our selection of native plants makes it easy to attract birds and pollinators butterflies to your yard while supporting local ecosystems. All plant offerings are perennials, native to our region and ready to thrive. Come early for the best selection. All sales support our public programming. Bring your own boxes/bags to select/carry your plant selections. Learn more at Aullwood Audubon Center.

April 25: Adopt-A-Park with Five Rivers MetroParks

• When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Cost: Free and for those of all ages

Join us in the park and give back this Earth Day at Adopt-A-Park! Five Rivers MetroParks celebrates Earth Day each year with Adopt-A-Park, an annual public volunteer service day that invites our community to come together to protect our regions natural heritage and MAKE A DIFFERENCE. View available volunteer opportunities and signup beginning March 1st at Five Rivers MetroParks - Adopt-A-Park.

April 25: The Living City Project

• Where: Various City of Dayton Locations
• When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The City of Dayton Waste Collection, Declare, and community partners host neighborhood cleanups across the city with several after parties to celebrate the positive impact. Hosts are needed for some locations and groups of 10 should sign up in advance by emailing livingcityproject@declare.org. For more information and registration please visit 2026 Living City Project - Citywide Cleanup.

April 25: Beverly J. Jurick and Robert R. Jurick Revocable Living Trust Homestead Work Session

• Where: B-W Greenway
• When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Join our Honeysuckle Hackers at Beverly J. Jurick and Robert R. Jurick Revocable Living Trust Homestead. One of B-W Greenway’s private property easements. Please wear appropriate attire for the day, including footwear that will get wet, and bring a water bottle. Contact Heidi, admin@bwgreenway.org, if interested in volunteering for this event. Open to the public.

April 25: Earth Day Recycled Art Show

• Where: Miamisburg Community Center
• When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Stop by the Miamisburg Community Center (305 E. Central Ave) from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 to view the Earth Day Recycled Art Show, part of Art in the Burg. This juried show features artwork created from recycled and repurposed materials, showing how everyday items can become something unique. Artists may enter work in three age categories (12 & under, 13–17, 18+). Cash prizes will be awarded. Visit Earth Day Recycled Art Show to register your art.

April 25: Celebrate Trails - Iron Horse Trail

• Where: Iron Horse Park, Washington Township
• When: 9:30 a.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

Come Celebrate Trails of the Miami Valley Region with an event along the Iron Horse Trail by hiking, biking or triking. Learn about Pliking. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Iron Horse Park 6161 Millshire Dr., Washington Township, OH 45459.

The event begins with a welcome and brief explanation about the “Pliking” movement - Picking up Litter while hiking or biking. Walkers, Hikers, Trekkers will be provided bags, gloves and grabbers to help clean up on the trail around the park. Visit Celebrate Trails - Iron Horse Trail to learn more.

April 28: Bicycle Maintenance 2: Shifters & Derailleurs

• Where: Possum Creek MetroPark
• When: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Cost: $15/person for those ages 14 and older

This next step in the bicycle maintenance progression will give riders a more comprehensive understanding of what makes the wheels go round. This hands-on class will offer guided practice with drive-train maintenance including shifter and derailleur adjustments. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a registered adult. Learn more and register at Five Rivers MetroParks - Programs & Events.

April 30: The Big Pull

• Where: Aullwood Garden MetroPark
• When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Cost: Free and for those 14 and older

Would you like to be a part of preserving a sustainable and natural habitat around the Stillwater River in the Miami Valley? A partnership between Five Rivers MetroParks, Aullwood Audubon Farm and Center, and the Garden Club of Dayton, this project preserves John and Marie Aull’s vision to unite local conservation efforts.  This activity is a collaborative, annual event in April supporting Ohio Native Plant Month. Visit The Annual Big Pull at Aullwood Garden MetroPark 2026 for more information and to register.

May 1: May is National Bike Month

Celebrate human-powered transportation all month.

Learn more at Five Rivers MetroParks - Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast.

May 4: Open House for International Compost Awareness Week

• Where: The Foodbank Dayton
• When: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Cost: Free for all ages

The Foodbank, Inc. Urban Garden will be hosting an open house for International Compost Awareness Week on Monday, May 4th from 2-3 of the composting facility, hydroponic greenhouse, and garden. The theme for this year is "Compost- Feed the Soil that Feeds Us," and attendees will get a chance to see and understand how food waste prevention and food recovery help alleviate hunger in our community and lessen our environmental impact by keeping food waste out of landfills. Learn more at The Foodbank Dayton.