Earth Day is April 22. Here’s how you can celebrate in Dallas-Fort Worth this week

After several cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Earth Day events are back in business throughout North Texas. First introduced in the U.S. in 1970, the day of environmental education and action is now globally celebrated on April 22 and often features community cleanups and public events drawing attention to issues that impact wildlife, air quality and more.

Several DFW organizations have already held environmental events this month, including the Tarrant Regional Water District’s Trinity Trash Bash and two Fort Worth Public Library webinars.

But there are still many Earth Day events set for this week, including a festival in Watauga, a scavenger hunt hosted by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and Natural History and virtual events focused on air pollution and migratory birds.

EarthxFilm Festival

Now in its fifth year, the Dallas-based EarthxFilm Festival offers a wide selection of free screenings of environmental documentaries, features and short films for two weeks in honor of Earth Day. More than $25,000 in prize money and grants will be awarded to filmmakers. This year, organizers are offering virtual and in-person screenings for those who register in advance, with several movies scheduled to run at Victory Park or the Cedars Drive-In.

One week of the festival has passed, but you can still catch some highly anticipated screenings like “Percy Vs. Goliath,” a feature film starring Christopher Walken and executive produced by NBA champion Dwight Howard. The real-life story of a small town farmer who takes his legal battle over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to the Supreme Court will premiere at Klyde Warren Park on Thursday followed by a virtual screening the next day.

Museum scavenger hunt

Through a scavenger hunt sponsored by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and Natural History, families could win prizes from Spiral Diner & Bakery, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, Central Market and the Tarrant Regional Water District. Participants can register online to receive more information about the game, which runs through this week, at http://bit.ly/FWScavengerHunt.

All participants will have access to one perk: The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is offering free admission to families of four people or less between 1 and 5 p.m. on Thursday. Parents just have to show the Earth Week Scavenger Hunt app to the garden admissions team.

Birds migrating through Texas

Fort Worth recently became the first major Texas city to commit to dimming lights on downtown buildings during night hours to decrease light pollution. The Lights Out Texas campaign, led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, argues that the reduction of nighttime lighting could help reduce bird collisions with buildings, which kill between 365 million and 988 millions birds each year.

Why is Texas such a crucial state for birds during the spring and fall migratory seasons? Ann Hoover, a vice president of the Fort Worth Audubon Society, will cover that topic and more on April 21 during the Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club’s monthly meeting held over Zoom.

Environmental live show

After 10 years as an online environmental news source, Green Source DFW is launching a new monthly live-streamed event at 6 p.m. Thursday via Zoom. The inaugural show will feature Marsha Jackson, a South Dallas activist who led a successful campaign to remove Shingle Mountain, a massive pile of roof shingles illegally dumped in her neighborhood for years. Other topics include environmental bills in the Texas legislature and the best places to hike in the Metroplex.

Dallas Arboretum workshops

The Dallas Arboretum will host its Window to the Wild Bird Show at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, but the real draw for families will come on Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, arboretum staff will host outdoor workshops for children to learn more about the planet and learn what it takes to take care of it.

Visitors can also stop by the main garden to check out Artscape, a fine art and fine craft sale featuring at least 85 artists from across the U.S. Live music, concessions and free kids crafts will be available on Saturday and Sunday.

Impact of fracking in Arlington

As natural gas drilling expands in Arlington and surrounding North Texas cities, the environmental activism group Liveable Arlington will host biologist and author Sandra Steingraber on Saturday for a conversation about how fracking affects public health and climate issues. Steingraber, the co-founder of Concerned Health Professionals of New York, will speak during a Zoom event starting at 2 p.m.

Arlington creek cleanup

Members of the Mill Creek community will meet 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday for their first-ever Johnson Creek Cleanup Day. A dumpster, gloves and trash bags will be provided, and a group of neighbors will meet in the 2000 block of Rockcreek Drive at 5:30. Interested neighbors can join the Mill Creek Neighborhood group on Facebook for details and updates.

Earth Day festival in Watauga

For the fourth time, the Healthy Hippie Cafe will host its Earth Day festival featuring live music, classes, vendors, guest speakers and giveaways starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and lasting through the evening. The vegan cafe and organic market, located at 6600 Denton Highway in Watauga, offers a variety of menu items from mac and cheese bowls and flatbread pizzas to vegan nachos and rice bowls.