KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Our planet gives us so much, and on Monday, April 22, people around the world will celebrate and give back to Mother Earth for Earth Day.
Here's what's going on locally to celebrate:
Fitness group "The Long Run" is hosting several trash-collecting runs in Knoxville and Oak Ridge on Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as a part of a nationwide trash collecting competition called #stashthattrash. For more information, click here.
Cumberland Mountain State Park is hosting an Earth Day event Monday to clean up and revitalize the park's flower beds. Organizers say volunteers should be prepared to get dirty and ask participants bring gloves, snacks and water. All other tools will be provided. The event will go from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more, click here.
DreamBikes is hosting an Earth Day Bike Drive and Sale from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Participants can bring a used bike to donate "to help create jobs for at-risk youth in Knoxville," get their bike tuned up for 25% off or buy a new bike for 25% off all day. For more on the event, click here.
UTK Grow Lab is hosting a workshop that will teach attendees how to use kitchen scraps to grow a variety of foods, how to use recycled items to grow your own food and other facts about container gardening at its Regrowth Garden Workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. on Earth Day. For more, click here.
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Get outside and enjoy Earth Day's beautiful forecast with a kayak paddle at Fort Loudon State Historic Area. The state park is hosting the event from 2 to 4 p.m. with a guided paddle tour around Fort Loudon that discusses the history and nature of the area. The paddle is $20 for those who need to rent a kayak and $10 who have their own. Space is limited. For more information, click here.
The Legacy Parks Foundation and Sunspot are hosting "Sustainable Pairings," a five course dinner with beer pairings. A portion of all proceeds will go to the Legacy Parks Foundation. The cost is $65 a person. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Earth Day. Seats are limited. For more information, click here.
Roller skating group "Chicks in Bowls" is hosting a cleanup of the Knoxville Skate Park on Earth Day from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Participants are asked to bring their own gloves; the group will provide trash bags. For more on the event, click here.
The City of Maryville is hosting a trash challenge all month long to clean up areas near Maryville businesses or neighborhoods. The TrashtagMaryville Spring Cleaning Challenge is asking participants to post before and after pictures of areas they clean up and challenge others to do the same. For more on the challenge, click here.
Keep Knoxville Beautiful is hosting multiple events this week to help the planet, including a Cleanup on Cumberland on Wednesday, and a cleanup at Third Creek on Saturday. The group is also hosting an electronics recycling collection from April 25 through April 28. Click here for more information.