With Earth Day and all of its great family activities (see below) on the near horizon (April 22-24), we challenged ourselves to put together a round-up of fresh and inspiring “green” ideas and resources that city parents can avail themselves of all year round.— *A perfect example is this resourceful, down-to-earth store—hidden in plain sight on Park Avenue—that specializes in natural parenting products, accessories, and toys (with a trove of great stuff for new families especially). *For green home ideas, there’s nothing like a trip to Soho to the flagship store of the wonderful Green Depot, founded by this New York City mom who recently gave us a motherlode of tips for products and practices that make for a healthy home. On the food front, check out our interesting interview with Nina Planck, a New York City mom, cook, and advocate who wrote this cool book about “real food.” For family health, what about our interview with Dr. Alan Greene, probably the most prominent and high-profile pediatrician balancing mainstream traditions and holistic approaches? For more hands-on fun, there’s our guide to raising city kids with green thumbs.
(Big Special Footnote: What better way to improve local air quality, lower your energy consumption, exercise more, and have fun than by riding a bicycle? Our sister publications, the New York Press, has pulled off the amazing feet of bringing a large-scale bike show back to the city on Saturday, April 30, from 10 AM to 7 PM. The show, which benefits Transportation Alternatives, is the perfect way to discover city bikes and bike trends for everyone in the family. Click here for more details and to gain the pre-registration discount. )
We want you and the kids to have an awesome Earth Day as well of course. Here’s our highlight reel of family-friendly events that are about the Earth but are out of this world:
*Grand Central Terminal hosts three full days of Earth Day pomp inside and out: EarthFair Indoors, happening from April 21-23, offers film screenings, green exhibitors and live entertainment at the Vanderbilt Hall. EarthFair Outdoors, happening April 22-23, brings the celebration to the streets with art, music and more on Vanderbilt Avenue from 42nd to 45th Streets.
* At The Visionaire’s Earth Day Celebration of Sustainable Living, families will enjoy eco-friendly treats, hands-on activities, gifts and more.
* The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has a fitting tribute to Earth Day on April 22: a “Recycled Paper Making Installation.” Kids ages five and older will learn to create a “green” paper quilt and make paper using recycled newspapers and magazines.
* At “Celebrate Earth” at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, families can learn about plants, practice recycling, meet threatened animals and participate in hands-on workshops.
* Wave Hill hosts an “Earth Day Family Art Project” from April 22-23, where artist Miwa Koizumi will demonstrate how to recycle colored plastic bags into rain hats, rain gear and Earth Day flags and flowers for a festive parade. Plus, the garden’s “Earth Day Garden Walk” is a fun way to hunt for early-blooming flowers, creepy crawly critters and other signs of spring. A garden interpreter leads the hunt. Ideal for kids age 6 and up.
* The Brooklyn Botanic Garden and New York Botanical Garden are great places to take kids anytime, as both have children’s gardens, gardening programs and a great roster of workshops for kids, and Earth Day is the perfect occasion to introduce your kids to one of these natural treasures.
*Right now, the BBG is celebrating Cherry Blossom Season, or “Hanami,” which will culminate in the annual Sakura Matsuri Festival from April 30-May 1. Don’t miss the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s "Spring Break Discovery Week," which begins next Tuesday. You’ll discover a world of wildflowers through hands-on explorations and take-home projects.
*Through May 6, the NYBG offers the program “Wake Up, Garden!,” where kids can help get the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden ready for spring by planting seeds, making compost and digging for worms!
