Politics & Government

Palo Alto Goes Green for Earth Day

A guide to this weekend's many eco-activities.

From eco-home tours to tree planting to a downtown street fair, Palo Altans will have a number of great green options for celebrating Earth Day this weekend.

Friday - GREEN STREET SCENE

Lytton Plaza will become ground zero for celebrations Friday night, when local environmental and business groups will converge to host an evening of fun-filled activities.

Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The event will include an art walk featuring work by local school children displayed at downtown businesses, informational booths and demonstrations, test rides on electric bikes, and product giveaways.

“Palo Alto as a community is very eco savvy, but there are many who come to downtown to visit and work that may not be aware of all the ways to make our city and our world a better place to live,” said David Greene, the owner of , a store specializing in environmentally responsible merchandise and sponsor/participant in the Earth Day celebration.

Find out what's happening in Palo Altowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Downtown Palo Alto Clean Green Street Scene runs from 4 to 7 p.m. on the corner of University and Emerson at Lytton Plaza.

“We’re proud to sponsor an event that encourages Palo Altan’s and others to act locally and think globally,” said Debra van Duynhoven, City of Palo Alto Sustainability Manager.

Event co-organizer Russ Cohen, executive director of the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association, was excited to bring together so many sponsors in the name of Mother Earth.

“I’m excited by how many participants are coming to the event and that Mayor Yeh will kick off the festivities,” said Cohen.

Saturday - Earth Day Celebration

On Saturday, Canopy will host a ribbon cutting at a new green demonstration home. The house is filled with latest in green technologies, including blue jeans insulation, recycled glass counter-tops and cloverleaf solar panels. The site is next to the Girl Scout House at 1305 Middlefield Road. Guided tours are Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.

Also Saturday, Whole Foods will host a celebration of its own, from 11:30 am to 3:30 p.m.. In addition to giving a nickel to Canopy for each reusable bag used by shoppers, the celebration will include live music, face painting, BBQ, free samples, a live insect exhibit for kids, a Nissan Leaf, and more. The event takes place in the Whole Foods parking lot downtown.

Sunday - Mini Environmental Fair

Finally, on Sunday, the Palo Alto Art Center opens a new exhibit by environmental artist Judith Selby Lang, “Water Lilies,” at the Palo Alto Baylands. The site-specific “green” installation will be alongside a variety of fun exhibits from local eco groups Acterra, Canopy, Environmental Volunteers, FabMo, Zero Wate, Regional Water Quality Treatment and the City of Palo Alto Public Art Commission. It’s all part of the Mini Environmental Fair, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Byxbee Park, 2375 Embarcadero Road. A complete schedule and map is available here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here