The 12 Best Earth Day Events in Buffalo, New York

Go green this Saturday for Earth Day (not the other holiday).

The trees are blooming, the snow has melted and hopefully left WNY for another season, which means it’s time to get out the garbage bags and spend a little time cleaning up the City of Good Neighbors.

Block clubs, civic organizations, and other groups are preparing for a big day of spring cleaning the outside world on Saturday, April 20.

The 12 Best Earth Day Events in Buffalo, New York

One of the larger events is organized by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. The group’s Spring Sweep is part of an effort across all five Great Lakes, in which thousands of volunteers in the US and Canada work together to clean up trash from the lakes while also collecting important data to help keep them healthy for people and animals alike. Participants are encouraged to download the Clean Swell app to help track what they find during their event, which helps “magnif(y) volunteer efforts beyond the Sweep and strengthens our ability to address litter pollution in waterways throughout the region.” The cleanup goes from 10 a.m. until noon at a number of locations across Western New York, including Freedom Park, the Theater District, Hoyt Lake Park, MLK Park, the Outer Harbor, and many more. Go here for the full list and to find the one nearest you — some sessions are already filled!

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The Elmwood Village Association also is working to find volunteers for the Annual Spring Clean Up starting at 9 a.m. on April 20. “As an organization that values beautification, we are committed to keeping our neighborhood clean and inviting. With your participation, we can continue this important tradition and make a positive impact on our community,” the group says. Volunteers are encouraged, but not required, to RSVP for this event and can do so here.

The Western New York Peace Center is hosting a cleaning event on the city’s East Side, in partnership with Open Buffalo, to clean up the CS53 Outdoor Classroom, described as “a once vibrant but now deteriorated area (that) holds the promise of revival through our collective action. By removing trash, clearing gutters and recycling, we can breathe new life into this space.” Volunteers will plant flowers and work with residents of Kingsley and Masten Park neighborhoods starting at 10 a.m., meeting at 91 Winslow Avenue to get started.

If you’re the kind of person who responds to a little competition, Community Canvases has the event for you -- the WNY Trash Mob, along with the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Buffalo Maritime Center, People’s Park, OSC and Preservation Buffalo Niagara, among others, are encouraging people to sign up individually or in large (10+) or small groups, identify where you want to get clean by getting your hands dirty, then take photos and post your trash for everyone to see on Facebook and Instagram, tagging @wnytrashmob and #WNYEarthDay2024. Prizes from local Buffalo establishments will be given out to the winners. This event is in partnership with a number of civic organizations, each with their own starting place, including:

Concordia Cemetery Volunteers, meeting at Concordia Cemetery, 438 Walden Avenue, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Westside Park Block Club, meeting at the Massachusetts Avenue entrance to Massachusetts Park, from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
The Grant-Amherst Business Association will meet at the Polish Cadets, corner of Grant and Amherst, to clean up the neighborhood starting at 10 a.m.
The Seneca Babcock Community Block Club is participating in their first community cleanup, with a focus on Seneca Street between Peabody and Hayes before moving up to Quinn Street between Peabody and Oakdale. Volunteers are asked to sign in starting around 10 a.m. at the Buffalo Garden on Seneca Street near Babcock.
Dewitt Street Block Club and 5 Loaves Farms will meet at the West Buffalo Charter School, 113 Lafayette Avenue, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to help clean up the blocks near the farm.
The Arkansas Community Block Club Clean Up will take place Saturday afternoon, from 4-6:30 p.m. with a supply pickup at 49 Barton Street.
The Buffalo State Psychology Club will host its cleanup event on Sunday, April 21, from 1-4 p.m., starting on the steps of Rockwell Hall and moving to the Elmwood Avenue/Delaware Park area to help beautify the campus and park.
Buffalo Maritime Center will host a cleaning Monday, April 22, from 3-5 p.m. at 90 Arthur Street.

The full list of events and partners for this event can be found here.

And because every day can, and maybe should, be Earth Day, the Parkside Community Association will be addressing trash and beautifying the Parkside portion of the Main Street corridor next week Saturday, April 27, starting at 9:30 a.m. and going until noon. Volunteers will meet at the PCA office, 2418 Main Street, and can pick up coffee from JAM Parkside, cookies from Fair Cakes, and tools from the Tool Library to help with beautification efforts.